Israeli troops have launched a ground offensive in southern Lebanon. Here’s what we know.(CNN NEWS).
Israel has launched a ground operation across its northern border into Lebanon targeting the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, opening a new and dangerous phase in almost a year of war.
The incursion, which Israel’s National Security Cabinet has called the “next phase” of its war with Hezbollah, marks the fourth time that Israeli soldiers have publicly entered Lebanese soil in nearly 50 years, and the first since Israel’s 34-day war in the country in 2006.
Israeli troops laid the groundwork for what it called a “limited ground operation” in recent days, ramping up airstrikes that have killed hundreds of people, destroyed homes and displaced about 1 million people in Lebanon.
The latest escalation comes after Israel killed Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike on Friday and decimated the leadership of the most powerful paramilitary force in the Middle East.
Here’s what we know.
Extent of incursion unclear
Israeli officials have characterized the incursion into southern Lebanon as limited in scope, saying there will be “no long-term occupation.”
Officials have, however, declined to say how deep Israeli troops would venture into the country or how long the operation is expected to last. On Tuesday, the Israeli military called on residents in more than two dozen villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate approximately 30 miles into the country.
An Israeli security official told reporters on condition of anonymity Tuesday morning that the operation does not amount to an invasion or incursion, describing it instead as “localized raids” that are “very limited in scope and in the area of operation.”
The official said there were so far “no clashes” on the ground between the IDF and Hezbollah, but refused to comment on whether Israeli tanks have entered Lebanon and would not elaborate on how deep into Lebanese territory Israeli troops have advanced, saying they were focused on the border areas.
“The amount of forces and the type of forces are more appropriate to something of a limited raid, and not, for example, things we’ve seen in Gaza with very, very large forces,” the official added.
Hezbollah rejected the claim that Israeli forces had entered southern Lebanon, describing them as “lies,” according to a statement by spokesman Mohamed Afif on Tuesday.
A source from the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said the Israeli military has staged some “sporadic raids” across the Lebanon-Israel border but its troops have not remained on Lebanese soil. The assessment that Israel has not yet launched a full-scale invasion was supported by two other high-level Lebanese security sources.
Israeli troops have launched a ground offensive in southern Lebanon. Here’s what we know.(CNN NEWS).
A man stands on the rubble of buildings near the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut’s southern suburbs, on September 29, 2024. Hassan Ammar/AP
The Israeli military earlier said it was focused on removing “immediate threats” from Lebanese villages along the border, including Hezbollah’s ability to infiltrate northern Israel. Israeli soldiers, including paratroopers and commandos, as well as armored corps troops have been “preparing for limited, localized, targeted operations in southern Lebanon,” the Israeli military said, adding that soldiers have been training for weeks and had gained skills and operational experience in Gaza over many months.
While the extent of Israel’s military plans inside Lebanon remain unclear, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become increasingly defiant of international calls for restraint and de-escalation, as well as widespread outrage over growing civilian casualties in Lebanon and Gaza.
Previous military operations initially declared by Israel to be limited in their goals have proved to be anything but.
Examples include Israel’s years-long occupation of southern Lebanon that began in 1982 with the stated aim of a brief and limited mission to destroy the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in the country.
More recently, Israel’s military declared a “limited” operation in Rafah, southern Gaza that has left the city in ruins.
What happened ahead of the incursion?
Shortly before the incursion, Israel’s National Security Cabinet approved the “next phase” of its war with Hezbollah, according to Israeli media.
In preparation, the Israeli military launched small raids and artillery fire across the Lebanon border, and sealed off several communities in northern Israel, limiting the movement of civilians there.
The Lebanese army had also evacuated observation posts at the southern border and moved to barracks in the border villages, according to a Lebanese security source. The Army Command later denied reports it withdrew. CNN is unable to independently verify the Lebanese army’s movements.
Meanwhile, Israel’s air force once again bombed the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut, predominantly Shia neighborhoods where Hezbollah has a stronghold.
It follows Israeli airstrikes that hit inside Beirut’s city limits early Monday for the first time since the Palestinian militant group Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel.
The Lebanese health ministry said on Monday that at least 95 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in just 24 hours, and another 172 others injured.
Israeli troops have launched a ground offensive in southern Lebanon. Here’s what we know.(CNN NEWS).
Isn’t Israel fighting Hamas in Gaza? Why are Israeli troops now in Lebanon?
Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah have been engaged in a tit-for-tat escalation since the war in Gaza began following Hamas’ attack on Israel last October. Hezbollah first attacked Israel on October 8 and has said it will not stop striking Israel until a ceasefire is reached in the Palestinian enclave, much of which has been reduced to rubble by Israeli bombs and fighting.
In recent weeks, Israel has refocused its military objectives north with a new war aim to return displaced residents to their homes along the Lebanon border. About 60,000 Israeli civilians have been forced from their homes by Hezbollah’s rocket attacks.
What’s unfolded is some of the fiercest fighting between the two longtime foes since the 2006 Lebanon war, which killed 1,100 in the country. Nearly 50 Israeli civilians and 121 Israeli soldiers were also killed.
Last month, pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon in a coordinated Israeli attack that killed dozens of people and maimed thousands, including women and children.
Israel has also stepped up a relentless bombing campaign across Lebanon targeting Hezbollah’s infrastructure and leadership, but the strikes have also decimated homes and neighborhoods in densely populated areas. Massive airstrikes in southern Beirut have killed a string of Hezbollah leaders, as well as more than 1,000 people.
