Israeli ground troops entered southern Lebanon early Tuesday morning, marking a significant escalation of the offensive against Hezbollah militants and opening a new front in the long-running war against its Iranian-backed opponents, Israeli media reported.
The IDF announced the start of a ground operation in southern Lebanon
The incursion follows weeks of heavy Israeli strikes against Hezbollah – including an airstrike that killed its long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah – and is aimed at increasing pressure on the group, which began firing rockets into northern Israel after the Gaza war began.
Israel and Hezbollah last engaged in ground fighting in 2006. In a brief statement, the Israeli military said it had launched “limited, localised and targeted ground raids” against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. The statement said:
“These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel.”
There was no word on the duration of the operation, but the army said soldiers had been training and preparing for it over the past months. Israel said it would continue to strike the group until displaced Israelis from border communities could return to their homes.
Ahead of the Israeli announcement, US officials reported that Israel had launched small ground raids inside Lebanon and that Israel had declared three small border communities a “closed military zone,” restricting access to army personnel only.
Shortly after Israel ordered residents of three homes to evacuate, smoke rose from the capital’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah positions are strong.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement attacked an Israeli base in Metula.
Hezbollah announced that it had launched an artillery strike on Israeli army positions in Metula. Hezbollah also claims to have shelled IDF troops near the localities of al-Odaiseh, Kfar Kila and Shtula.
The number of casualties is rising
Israeli strikes in recent weeks have hit what the military says are thousands of militant targets across much of Lebanon. More than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon in the past fortnight, nearly a quarter of them women and children, the health ministry said.
A total of 95 people have been killed and 172 injured over the past 24 hours in Israeli airstrikes on various parts of Lebanon, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Monday night. According to the ministry, 16 people were killed and 48 injured in the Baalbek-Germel neighbourhood, while another 16 people were killed and 55 injured in Nabatiya governorate.
In addition, four deaths and four injuries were reported in Beirut, as well as 52 deaths and 43 injuries in the southern governorate. In the Bekaa region, seven people were killed and 22 injured.
The world community is expressing concern
On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a conversation with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu stressed the need to avoid escalation in the region, two days after Hezbollah confirmed that its secretary general Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli bombing in Beirut. Modi posted on X during a telephone conversation with the Israeli Prime Minister:
“Spoke to Prime Minister @netanyahu about recent developments in West Asia. Terrorism has no place in our world. It is crucial to prevent regional escalation and ensure the safe release of all hostages. India is committed to supporting efforts for an early restoration of peace and stability.’’
Hours after Israel launched “targeted ground raids” against Hezbollah, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin offered Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant support in “dismantling the attack infrastructure” along the border with Lebanon.
Lloyd Austin also warned Iran of “serious consequences” should it directly attack Israel in response to their attacks on the Tehran-backed militant group. Lloyd Austin said in a statement posted to social network X after speaking with Gallant:
“We agreed on the necessity of dismantling attack infrastructure along the border to ensure that Lebanese Hezbollah cannot conduct October 7-style attacks on Israel’s northern communities.”
UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Catherine Russell on Monday expressed concern over the deaths of children in Israeli attacks in Lebanon. Russell said on X:
“I am deeply concerned by the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Lebanon. Over the last week, at least 80 children have reportedly been killed in attacks, while hundreds more have been injured.”
Citing government reports, she said the number of people displaced from their homes by the violence exceeded one million, including more than 300,000 children. She also said:
“Thousands of children and families are now living in the streets or in shelters; many having fled their homes without essential supplies and belongings. Humanitarian conditions are growing worse by the hour.”
Stressing that UNICEF and its partners are working on the ground in Lebanon to provide children and families with the assistance they need, she said teams are delivering drinking water, medicine, mattresses and blankets, as well as hygiene and baby kits. She said, calling for an urgent cessation of hostilities:
“We are providing health and nutrition, child protection and psychosocial support services for children. But as the violence intensifies, so do the humanitarian needs. Any ground offensive or further escalation in Lebanon would make a catastrophic situation for children even worse. Such an outcome must be avoided at all costs.”
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned on social media platform X Israel’s “brutal” and “inhumane” attacks that killed many Lebanese, including children, and called on the international community to “act swiftly” to ensure global peace, stability and security.
Earlier on Saturday, the Tunisian Foreign Ministry condemned the “brutal aggression” against Lebanon, and called on the UN Security Council to adopt a “decisive and firm position to stop the bombings against the Lebanese people and put an end to the violation of their sovereignty and the threat to their security.”
In a post on X, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi expressed his country’s “solidarity with Lebanon and its people,” reaffirming “support for Lebanon’s sovereignty, security, stability, cohesion, and peace.”
The United Arab Emirates expressed its deep concern over the developments in Lebanon, as well as the consequences of this dangerous situation and its impact on regional stability.
The UAE reaffirmed its unwavering position on Lebanon’s unity, national sovereignty and territorial integrity, emphasising its unwavering support for the Lebanese people during this difficult period. In this regard, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan ordered the urgent delivery of a $100 million aid package to the people of Lebanon.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed the need for concerted international efforts to halt the escalation and prevent further loss of life. The ministry emphasised the importance of ensuring the full protection of civilians in accordance with international law and treaties.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of France Unbowed (LFI), wrote on X:
“Catastrophe. The invasion of Lebanon has begun. Lebanon has the right to defend itself against Netanyahu. And countries that support international law should provide it with the means to do so, as they did with the Ukrainians. Solidarity and brotherhood with the Lebanese.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has condemned the “routine massacres” occurring in Ukraine and the Middle East, urging the international community to break its silence.
Speaking at an award ceremony hosted by La Vanguardia newspaper on Monday, Sánchez emphasised the need to uphold international law and promote peace in both regions. He said:
“If the international community remains silent, we will raise our voices even more to defend international law and peace.”
EU is “very concerned” about situation in Lebanon
Earlier, EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell, following an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers, called on Israel to refrain from invading Lebanon so as not to aggravate the humanitarian situation. He said:
“Any further military intervention will only exacerbate the situation, it must be avoided. We are very concerned about further escalation of this conflict.”
A number of countries have expressed concern and alarm over Israel’s invasion of the sovereign state of Lebanon, but unlike what was done to Russia, no one is imposing sanctions, suing Israel in international legal bodies, or imposing restrictions. The EU and the US have once again demonstrated double standards in understanding international rules in the world.
