Israeli military says “targeted” ground operation in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah has begun

The Israeli navy says it has begun a “restricted, localized” floor operation towards Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

In posts shared on social media, the Israeli navy mentioned it was finishing up “focused” floor raids in villages near the Israeli border. 

“A number of hours in the past, the IDF started restricted, localized, and focused floor raids based mostly on exact intelligence towards Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon,” the navy mentioned. “These targets are positioned in villages near the border and pose a direct menace to Israeli communities in northern Israel.”

The IDF mentioned that the operation had been deliberate in latest months and was launched after approval by political leaders. The troop motion comes within the wake of days of Israeli airstrikes that killed the chief of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, and numerous the group’s commanders in Beirut.

“The Israeli Air Power and IDF Artillery are supporting the bottom forces with exact strikes on navy targets within the space,” the navy mentioned.

Israel mentioned its airstrike operation on Iran-backed teams in Lebanon — an operation it calls “Northern Arrows” — will proceed “in parallel to fight in Gaza and in different arenas.”

Israel expanded its airstrikes in Lebanon and past over the weekend, launching raids 1000’s of miles away on Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The strikes got here amid rising concern that Israel’s nearly-yearlong warfare towards Hamas within the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon may spiral right into a broad regional battle, drawing in Iran and even the U.S. to again their respective allies.

Earlier on Monday, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS Information that Israel had notified the U.S. that it meant to launch a restricted floor incursion into Lebanon.

In one other signal the invasion was imminent, Israel declared three small border communities to be a “closed navy zone,” limiting entry solely to military personnel.

There have been no studies of direct clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants. However all through the night, Israeli artillery models pounded targets in southern Lebanon and the sounds of airstrikes have been heard all through Beirut. Smoke rose from the capital’s southern suburbs, the place Hezbollah has a powerful presence, shortly after Israel referred to as on the residents of three buildings to evacuate.

Israel has been emboldened by its latest battlefield positive factors towards Hezbollah and seems intent on delivering a knockout blow to its archenemy. However a floor operation marks a brand new and probably dangerous part of preventing. It additionally threatens to unleash additional devastation on Lebanon, the place a whole bunch have been killed in latest Israeli strikes and a whole bunch of 1000’s have been displaced.

Hezbollah is a well-trained militia, believed to have tens of 1000’s of fighters and an arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles. The final spherical of preventing in 2006 led to a stalemate.

Each side have spent the previous twenty years getting ready for his or her subsequent showdown. Whereas Hezbollah has constructed up a formidable arsenal, Israel has invested nice sums into coaching and intelligence gathering. Current airstrikes wiping out most of Hezbollah’s prime management and the explosions of a whole bunch of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah point out that Israel has infiltrated deep contained in the group’s higher echelons.

Hezbollah vowed Monday to maintain preventing even after its latest losses. The group’s appearing chief, Naim Kassem, mentioned in a televised assertion that Hezbollah can be prepared for a floor operation. He mentioned commanders killed in latest weeks have already been changed.

The person extensively anticipated to take excessive publish from Kassem is Hashem Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah who oversees Hezbollah’s political affairs.

Israeli strikes in latest weeks have hit what the navy says are 1000’s of militant targets throughout giant elements of Lebanon. Over 1,000 individuals have been killed in Lebanon prior to now two weeks, practically 1 / 4 of them ladies and kids, based on the Well being Ministry.

Early Monday, an airstrike hit a residential constructing in central Beirut, killing three Palestinian militants, as Israel appeared to ship a message that no a part of Lebanon is out of bounds.

Israel declared warfare towards the Hamas militant group within the Gaza Strip after Hamas’ cross-border assault final Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 others hostage. Hezbollah started firing rockets into Israel the next day.

Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fireplace virtually each day since then, coming near a full-fledged warfare on a number of events however stepping again from the brink.

However as Israel’s warfare towards towards Hamas has scaled again in latest weeks, it has turned its focus northward towards Lebanon and stepped up the assaults on Hezbollah. It says it would proceed to strike the group till it’s secure for displaced Israelis from border communities to return to their properties.

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