Israel has launched its first limited ground invasion into Lebanon, a dramatic escalation in its 11-month conflict with the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah, and a large-scale and long-running assault on the group. This marks the beginning of a potential battle.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a social media post early Tuesday morning local time that its forces were carrying out “a limited, localized attack based on accurate intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon” in an operation dubbed the “Northern Offensive.” It announced that it was launching “targeted ground raids”. arrow. ”
“These targets are located in villages near the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel,” the statement said.
The IDF raid is likely just the beginning, and a broader war that the United States has been seeking to deter since October 2023 may have arrived.
The Biden administration has been trying for months to reach a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, but has tried more aggressively in the past few weeks amid looming threats of a ground invasion.
But Israel has rejected a 21-day ceasefire proposed by the United States, France and other allies last week, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave an impassioned speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last Friday, calling for a continuation of the war with Hezbollah. I swore. and Hamas in Gaza.
Over the past two weeks, Israeli forces have detonated pagers and walkie-talkies and carried out large-scale attacks against Lebanon, including the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday.
Although Israel has already destroyed much of Hezbollah's chain of command, the militant group remains intact and is capable of firing rockets across the border.
With the Gaza conflict ending in the past two months and resources consuming fewer resources, Israeli authorities have set a war goal of returning some 60,000 people displaced from the northern border, and troops are moving in from the south and north. are.
Israeli officials and military commanders have increasingly suggested a ground invasion is imminent, especially after reports that a small special forces raid was launched on the border early Monday.
Israel and Hezbollah are in the midst of the ongoing Gaza war in which Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, resulting in more than 41,000 Palestinians being killed. Since the day after that, gunfire has continued across the border. About 100 hostages remain in Gaza.
Hezbollah is Iran's representative proxy against Israel and the main bulwark Iran uses against the nation. Still, it is unclear how the Iranian government, which has been trying to avoid escalating tensions during the Gaza conflict, would respond to a ground invasion that could further jeopardize the militant group's resources, capabilities and position in Lebanon.
The United States has deployed aircraft carrier strike groups and amphibious assault ships to the region in an effort to prevent Iran and other actors from escalating the conflict. On Monday, the Pentagon announced it would send more troops to the region.
Still, Israel faces serious risks from an invasion. Israel last invaded Lebanon in 2006, after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers.
The 34-day war ended with a UN-brokered ceasefire, but it failed to achieve Israel's goal of annihilating Hezbollah, which had only grown in strength since the conflict.
Israel also fought and occupied southern Lebanon from the 1980s to 2000, giving rise to Hezbollah in the early 1980s.
The IDF said in a statement on Tuesday that the force is currently implementing “a detailed plan set by the General Staff and the Northern Command,” and that IDF soldiers have been training and preparing for the past several months.
“The Israel Defense Forces continues to operate to achieve the war objectives, doing everything necessary to protect the Israeli people and return the people of Northern Israel to their homeland,” the statement said.
