Israeli forces have reportedly invaded Lebanon to intensify attacks on the Shi’a militant group Hezbollah in what the Israeli military called a “limited, localised and targeted” ground operation.
The invasion on Tuesday morning has witnessed “no clashes” yet – but an Israeli military spokesman said people in around 25 Lebanese villages have been asked to evacuate, even as Hezbollah has denied that Israel crossed into the territory.
The Israeli invasion against Hezbollah is coming after Israeli strikes killed Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, on Friday, and the targeted killing of other members of the group in recent days.
Israel has ramped up bombings around the Lebanese capital, Beirut, even as officials in Lebanon said a building in a Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon was hit.
This is the second time Israel has invaded Lebanon, the most recent one being in 2006 when Israel launched an attack in Southern Lebanon which had attacked and killed Israeli soldiers.
In Lebanon, officials said more than 1,000 people have been killed in the past two weeks, while up to a million may now be displaced.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Lebanon faces “one of the most dangerous phases of its history”.
Israeli forces continue air attacks across Lebanon, including on several neighbourhoods in southern Beirut. At least 95 people were killed in attacks on Monday, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah started to fire rockets into Israel in solidarity with the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group, Hamas, which had staged daring attacks on southern Israel on October 7 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking over 200 people hostage.
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