Israel has begun ground incursions into southern Lebanon, as confirmed by the Israeli army in an official announcement in the early hours of Tuesday morning. “The army began a few hours ago a targeted and demarcated ground operation in southern Lebanon” according to a statement by the Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari.
An artillery barrage provided cover for the Israeli ground forces, while Israeli fighter jets conducted intensive raids on several areas in the southern part of the country.
The Israeli army had pinpointed villages near the border as imminent threats to Israeli settlements in the northern part of the country. This move echoes a prior statement by US officials, who noted that Israeli forces had launched limited ground actions directed at Hezbollah.
The 98th Division, which led the raids in the Gaza Strip was diverted to the north in the last month and is the division carrying out the incursion according to the Israeli army
Intense shelling into Lebanon was ongoing, with areas like Marjayoun, Wazzani, and Khiam coming under fire on Monday night.
Heavy shelling was reported in Aita al-Shaab amid the sound of helicopters and drones overhead.
According to CNN, the sounds of outgoing artillery fire, drones and helicopters rang through the air close to the border.
Several explosions, plumes of smoke and flashes of light were also seen coming from the direction of the village of Aadaysit Marjaayoun.
According to a statement from the Israeli military, this operation, sanctioned by the political leadership, is based on strategies devised by the army’s General Staff and Northern Command. The Israeli army has disclosed that ground forces currently deployed in Lebanon are receiving support from air and artillery units.
These operations, as stated by the Israeli army, " will continue depending on the evaluation of the situation on the ground, in order to achieve the goals of the war and ensure the return of the residents of northern Israel to their homes. "
In the past three weeks, the Israeli army has shifted numerous infantry and tank divisions from Gaza to the northern border and activated multiple reserve brigades. During a meeting with troops in a tank unit at the border on Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hinted at the prospect of an upcoming ground incursion.
Israeli officials stated that the Israeli security cabinet assembled on Monday to deliberate the potential ground invasion. In a briefing with journalists on Monday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller neither opposed nor supported a potential restricted ground mission, emphasizing the U.S.’s continued backing for a ceasefire while acknowledging that “military pressure can sometimes enable diplomacy.”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had emphasized on Monday the importance of dismantling attack infrastructure along the border, as stated in a communication from Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder.
In addition, Austin deliberated on transitioning from military actions to diplomatic solutions to ensure security and stability promptly.
This is the first operation of its kind since the July 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah
There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah following the Israeli army’s announcement of the ground raids, but the group’s al-Manar television reported the Israeli statement announcing the raids on its Telegram channel.
For its part, the Israeli army announced that it had “intercepted a drone over the Mediterranean, dozens of kilometers west of Israel’s central coast”.
It added that ten rockets were fired earlier in the night from Lebanon. Some of the projectiles were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system while other rockets landed in open areas.
Raid on a Palestinian camp
An hour and a half after the beginning of the incursion, the Israeli air force carried out a raid on the Palestinian camp of Ain el-Heloue, killing 5 people. The target was Mounir Maqdah, commander of the Lebanese branch of the Palestinian Fatah movement’s military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. However, the assassination attempt failed because al-Maqdah was not present at the place of the raid. On August 21st, an Israeli raid had killed al-Maqdah’s brother, Khalil. According to preliminary reports, the raid killed at least six people, including Mounir al-Maqdah’s son Hassan and three children.
The Israelis appear to have begun operations targeting senior Palestinian leaders in Lebanon since Sunday night. The first operation resulted in the death of three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in a strike in Beirut on Sunday night. Another led to the elimination of the head of Hamas in Lebanon, Fateh Cherif al-Amine, and his family, in the al-Bass refugee camp near Tyre on Monday.
