The Israeli Armed Forces (IDF) confirmed that they began “limited, localized and targeted” ground attacks tonight against “Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
“These targets are located in villages close to the border and represent an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel,” the IDF stressed in a note on the social network Telegram.
The ground incursion, which began “a few hours ago”, is being carried out “based on precise intelligence against terrorist targets and Hezbollah infrastructure.
The IDF is operating according to a methodical plan established by the General Staff and Northern Command, for which IDF soldiers have trained and prepared in recent months”, the Israeli forces also highlighted in the same note.
The Israeli Air Force and IDF artillery are supporting ground forces with precision strikes against military targets in the area, he further detailed.
“The IDF continues to operate to achieve the objectives of the war and is doing everything necessary to defend the citizens of Israel and return the citizens of Northern Israel to their homes”, it is also highlighted.
After the IDF warned the United States that it intended to carry out limited ground operations against the Shiite movement, and despite appeals from the international community, Israel even advanced to a new phase in its military offensive.
According to what has been reported by several international media outlets, many bombings have been recorded, both on Lebanon’s southern border with Israel and in the capital, Beirut, where at least four large explosions have already been heard.
A Lebanese official confirmed to France-Presse that at least six attacks were recorded in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
In the last few hours, another 10 locations throughout the south of the country were attacked by Israeli artillery. The attacks came after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ordered residents of three areas in the Dahieh neighborhood to abandon their homes, the second time that the IDF anticipated an attack there.
In a statement cited by AFP, Hezbollah said that it “hit” Israeli troops “moving” near the border, having noticed “artillery attacks” from Israel in the areas of Adaisseh and Kfarkila. Lebanese military authorities also confirmed Israeli movements on the border.
“They are located close to interests and locations held by Hezbollah terrorists and, therefore, the IDF will act against them vigorously,” warned Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arab spokesman. The IDF has claimed that fighters from Hezbollah, the region’s radical group, are hiding in civilian homes.
This Monday, the New York Times had advanced that Israeli special forces had carried out brief land incursions into Lebanese territory, before the large-scale offensive. THE Jerusalem Post also reported that the imminent invasion of Lebanon will have been approved this evening at a Government meeting, at 7:30 pm local time, in which options for an incursion into the south of the country will have been considered.
In a first assessment at the beginning of the evening, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health confirmed that Monday’s Israeli attacks killed at least 95 people, with another 172 injured in the last 24 hours.
The United Kingdom announced this evening that it has sent another flight to Beirut, to evacuate British citizens who wish to leave the country due to security fears, given the scale of violence. “It is vital that they leave now, as future evacuation is not guaranteed,” warned the British Government.
Source: expresso.pt
