Israeli ground forces crossed into southern Lebanon early on Tuesday, marking a significant escalation of an offensive against Hizbullah militants and opening a new front in a year-long war against its Iranian-backed adversaries.
The incursion follows weeks of heavy blows by Israel against Hizbullah – including an air strike that killed its long-time leader, Hassan Nasrallah – and seeks to step up the pressure on the group, which began firing rockets into northern Israel after the start of the war in Gaza.
The last time Israel and Hizbullah engaged in ground combat was in 2006.
The Israeli military said in a brief statement that it began “limited, localised and targeted ground raids” against Hizbullah targets in southern Lebanon.
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“These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel,” it said.
There was no word on how long the operation would last, but the army said soldiers had been training and preparing for the mission in recent months.
Israel has said it will continue to strike the group until it is safe for displaced Israelis from border communities to return to their homes.
In advance of the Israeli announcement, United States officials said Israel launched small ground raids inside Lebanon, and Israel declared three small border communities to be a “closed military zone”, restricting access only to army personnel.
There were no reports of direct clashes between Israeli troops and Hizbullah militants. But throughout the evening, Israeli artillery units pounded targets in southern Lebanon and the sounds of air strikes were heard throughout Beirut.
Smoke rose from the capital’s southern suburbs, where Hizbullah has a strong presence, shortly after Israel ordered residents of three buildings to evacuate.
The army has heavily beefed up forces along the border in recent days, and commanders have said they are prepared to go into Lebanon.
Israeli strikes in recent weeks have hit what the military says are thousands of militant targets across large parts of Lebanon. More than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon in the past two weeks, nearly a quarter of them women and children, according to the health ministry. – AP