The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have launched a “limited, localised and targeted” ground operation inside southern Lebanon, intensifying the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah.
The Israeli troops Monday night entered Lebanon to neutralise what the IDF described as “immediate threats” to Israeli communities along the northern border.
Days after killing Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and other top commanders of the Lebanon-based militia, Israeli airstrikes have continued to pound the Hezbollah positions, including the strongholds in Dahieh in southern Beirut.
The strikes also extended to a Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon, although Lebanese officials reported that civilian areas were hit, with fatalities and mass displacement mounting.
More than 1,000 people have died in Lebanon over the past two weeks, with nearly a million residents forced to flee their homes.
Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Naim Qassem, has stated the group is ready for a protracted conflict, with the possibility of a “long battle” ahead.
In response to Israeli advances, Hezbollah launched artillery fire and a rocket barrage into northern Israel on Tuesday morning, striking near the Israeli town of Metula.
The IDF confirmed several rockets were intercepted, with some landing in open areas.
In anticipation of further attacks, Israeli military authorities have declared areas around Metula, Misgav Am, and Kfar Giladi as closed military zones, restricting access due to heightened security concerns.
Meanwhile, the United States has openly thrown its weight behind Israel, and warned Iran against any direct attack on the Jewish country in support of Hezbollah.
Earlier on Monday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has spoken with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant
During the conversation, the two “agreed on the necessity of dismantling attack infrastructure along the border” in order to protect Israel’s northern communities from Hezbollah.