Israel’s military has launched a fresh wave of “limited and targeted” ground operations against Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, officials reported Monday.
“This activity is part of broader defensive efforts to establish and strengthen a forward defensive posture, which includes the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the elimination of terrorists operating in the area,” the Israel Defense Forces posted on X.
The operations are also designed to create an “additional layer” of security for residents in northern Israel, according to the IDF, which also said it was carrying out airstrikes in a bid to “remove threats” posed by Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Monday’s attack comes after Israeli troops killed Hezbollah officials in a raid on Saturday night, according to the Times of Israel.
Senior Israeli officials had alluded to the prospect of a ground invasion in Lebanon for several days.
“We are going to do what we did in Gaza,” one senior official told Axios in a report published Friday.
“The goal is to take over territory, push Hezbollah’s forces north and away from the border, and dismantle its military positions and weapons depots in the villages.”
Mass evacuation orders have been issued by Israel to residents of southern Lebanon, affecting around 14% of the country’s population of nearly 6 million people, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Around 700 people have died in Lebanon as a result of Israeli bombardment, with more than 800,000 displaced.
Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, said Saturday that parts of the country risk becoming a “wasteland.”
“Southern Beirut, which is under sweeping evacuation orders by Israel, risks being bombed to oblivion,” he told reporters in the Lebanese capital.
With Post wires.
