Israel Launches 'Limited' Operation Against Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon

Photo: Israeli shelling of southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel, 10/01/2024

The Israeli military said it had launched a “limited, localized” operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

The IDF is conducting “precision ground raids” in villages located near the Israeli border that pose an “immediate threat to settlements in northern Israel,” the military command said in a statement early Tuesday local time, Voice of America reported.

“In accordance with a decision at the highest political echelon, several hours ago, the Civil Defense Forces launched limited, localized and precision ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon,”— the Israeli military reported on its Telegram channel.

The army is acting "in accordance with the methodological plan developed by the General Staff and the Northern Command, for which the civil defense soldiers have been preparing in recent months," the Israeli military added.

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The Israel Defense Forces carried out small ground raids against Hezbollah on Monday, declaring three northern settlements a “closed military zone,” a move some say signals that more forces could soon be sent there to fight the Iranian-backed militants.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Israel had notified the United States of the raids, which he described as “limited operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure near the border.”

There have been no reports of direct clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters on Lebanese territory. The last time the two sides engaged in ground combat was during a month-long war in 2006.

A Western diplomat in Cairo whose country is closely involved in de-escalation efforts told The Associated Press that an Israeli ground operation in Lebanon is “inevitable.” The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Israel had shared its plans with the United States and other Western allies, saying the operation would be “limited.”

By Sergei Daga