Israel says intense fighting erupted with Hezbollah in south Lebanon
Israel said intense fighting erupted with Hezbollah in south Lebanon after its paratroops and commandos launched raids there, ahead of a widely expected ground incursion and after devastating airstrikes against Hezbollah’s leadership.The Israeli military said the operations in Lebanon began on Monday night and involved the elite 98th division, which was deployed to the northern front two weeks ago from Gaza where they had been fighting against Hamas for months.It said its air force and artillery supported ground troops engaged in “limited, localised, and targeted ground raids” against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon villages that posed “an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel.”Israel has dealt heavy blows to Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful Middle East proxy, assassinating its leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last week, eliminating a towering figure who turned it into Lebanon’s top military and political force.Despite its biggest successes against Hezbollah in decades, Israel has indicated it is primed for a full-fledged invasion of Lebanon with the stated aim of enabling thousands of its citizens who fled Hezbollah rockets to safely return to their communities near the northern border.A Lebanese security source told Reuters that Israeli units had crossed into Lebanon overnight for reconnaissance and probing operations.Lebanese troops also pulled back from positions along the border, the source added.
A Lebanese army spokesperson did not confirm or deny the movement.Lebanon’s army has historically stayed on the sidelines of major conflicts with Israel, and in the last year of hostilities has not fired on the Israeli military.The operation into Lebanon represents an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Iran-backed terrorists that now threatens to suck in the US and Iran.Local residents in the Lebanese border town of Aita al-Shaab reported heavy shelling and the sound of helicopters and drones overhead....