Israeli military began what it claimed "limited, localized, and targeted" ground raids in Lebanon two days after it killed the Iran-backed group Hezbollah's chief Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike on Sep 29 along with hundreds of people including women and children who have been killed in multiple strikes mostly in southern Lebanon in recent days.
The incursion marks a significant escalation of an offensive against Hezbollah militants and opening a new front in a year-old war against its Iranian-backed adversaries. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) announced the raids in a post on X, a few hours after they began on Oct 1, saying, “The incursions were backed by air strikes and artillery."
The IDF clarified, “The operations were approved and carried out by the decision of the political echelon,” asserting that operation "Northern Arrows" will continue in parallel to the fighting in Gaza and other arenas.
The Israeli Air Force and Artillery will also conduct “precise strikes on military targets,” according to the IDF post. There was no word on how long the operation would last, but a senior army official said that soldiers had been training and preparing for the mission in recent months.
Israel has said it will continue to strike the Iran-backed armed group until it is safe for displaced Israelis from border communities to return to their homes.
The country declared on Oct 1 three small border communities a “closed military zone,” restricting access only to army personnel.
There were no reports of direct clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants. Still, throughout Sep 30 evening, Israeli artillery units pounded targets in southern Lebanon, and the sounds of airstrikes were heard throughout Beirut, according to media reports.
Smoke rose from the capital’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a strong presence, shortly after Israel ordered residents of three buildings to evacuate, reports added.
The ground action will be smaller than Israel’s last fight against Hezbollah in 2006, a US official was quoted as saying, and will reportedly focus on clearing out militant infrastructure on Lebanon’s southern border to protect communities in northern Israel.
At least 100 Israeli military vehicles were spotted around five miles from the Lebanon border early on Oct 1, according to media reports. Notably, the forces eliminated Muhammad Hussein Srour, the head of Hezbollah's Aerial Command, during an airstrike in Beirut on Sep 26, and Ibrahim Muhammad Qabisi, a top commander with the missile and rocket unit on Sep 24.
The recent ongoing conflict in the Middle East has been escalating day by day while ignoring the world leaders’ calls for de-escalation and a 21-day US-backed truce.
Residents in the Lebanese border town of Aita al-Shaab on Oct 1 reported heavy shelling and the sound of helicopters and drones overhead. Flares were repeatedly launched over the Lebanese border town of Rmeish, lighting up the night sky, according to them.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sep 30 told local council heads in northern Israel that the next phase of the war along Lebanon's southern border would begin soon, and would intend to bring home Israelis who have fled Hezbollah rockets during almost a year of border warfare.
Notably, Israel conducted at least six strikes on south Beirut in recent days after ordering the residents to evacuate, according to a Lebanese official. Hezbollah is a well-trained militant group believed to have tens of thousands of fighters and a massive arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles.
The last round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 ended in a stalemate.
On Sep 29, Israel attacked Yemen with a series of air raids against Houthi targets. Numerous aircraft, including fighter jets, attacked power plants and sea port facilities at Ras Isa and Hodeidah ports. The Houthis claimed to have fired a ballistic missile toward Ben Gurion International Airport, which is close to Tel Aviv, the day before the strike.
