Israel Launches Ground Incursion Into Lebanon

IDF says troops launched limited ground raids of Hezbollah sites across northern border

Jacob Magid

The IDF announces that several hours ago, its troops launched “limited, localized, and targeted ground raids” against Hezbollah targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

The raids are targeting Lebanese villages close to the border, which have been used by Hezbollah to pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel, the IDF says.

The IDF announces that its forces launched a “targeted and limited” ground incursion into southern Lebanon several hours ago against Hezbollah targets and infrastructure in a number of Lebanese villages along the border that pose an immediate threat to Israeli towns on the other side of the Blue Line.

The operation was approved by the political echelon and is based on plans drawn up by the IDF’s General Staff and Northern Command following months of preparation and training, the army says in a statement.

Ground troops currently operating inside Lebanon are being assisted by air and artillery forces, the IDF says.

The incursion is an extension of the IDF’s Operation Northern Arrows, which was launched earlier this month against Hezbollah, and continues at the same time as the fighting in Gaza and other arenas, the army adds.

“The IDF is continuing to operate to achieve the goals of the war and is doing everything necessary to defend the citizens of Israel and return the citizens of northern Israel to their homes,” the army says in its statement.