Israel has launched a ground offensive targeting Hezbollah group positions inside southern Lebanon, according to The Guardian.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stated that Israeli forces had informed the US they were carrying out “limited ground operations” targeting Hezbollah infrastructure near the Lebanese border.
The attack comes amid heavy shelling along the northern Israeli border near Kiryat Shmona, with Lebanese towns Marjayoun, Wazzani, and Khiam also being heavily bombarded by Israeli forces.
Airstrikes hit Beirut for the first time in nearly two decades, targeting at least 10 locations across southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese National News Agency confirmed the ongoing strikes in Beirut and rural areas.
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned of an imminent “next phase of war against Hezbollah” while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning to Iran, saying, “There is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach.”
Despite warnings from US President Joe Biden urging restraint, Israeli military forces have declared northern Israeli towns Metula, Misgav Am, and Kfar Giladi “closed military zones.”
In Marjayoun, a local official had ordered residents to evacuate, but Israeli shelling trapped locals before they could flee. An Israeli airstrike later hit the road out of Marjayoun, making evacuation impossible.
Hezbollah’s acting leader, Naim Qassem, vowed to continue fighting even after the assassination of longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah in Israeli airstrikes. He stated that “Hezbollah’s commanders have been replaced and are prepared for any ground invasion by Israeli forces.”
According to the Lebanese health ministry, more than 1,000 Lebanese have been killed and 6,000 wounded in the past two weeks. The ongoing violence has forced a fifth of the Lebanese population to flee their homes.
Lebanese journalists also reported Israeli aircraft heavily patrolling southern Lebanon, where bunkers and tunnels built by Hezbollah hide within the mountainous landscape.
No direct clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli troops have been confirmed yet, but diplomatic sources indicated that Israeli ground forces are poised for more extensive operations in the region.