By The Jerusalem Post (World News) | Created at 2024-09-30 19:10:16 | Updated at 2024-09-30 21:30:37
2 hours ago
IDF soldiers enter southern Lebanon in a ground offensive for the first time since 2006 following a series of escalations with Iran-backed Hezbollah.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 22:06
IDF prepares Battalion 11 with training in Israel's North, September 6, 2024.
(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
IDF soldiers entered southern Lebanon as part of a ground assault on Monday night as the conflict with Hezbollah continues to escalate, AFP reported.
This is the first IDF ground operation in Lebanon since the Second Lebanon War in 2006.
This follows earlier reports that Israel notified the US that it intends to launch a limited ground operation into Lebanon that could begin within hours, a US official confirmed to CBS on Monday. Other news sources have reported that an Israeli incursion could come within the coming days.
Israeli-Hezbollah tensions boil over into open war
The IDF invasion follows an ongoing pattern of escalation between Hezbollah and the IDF since the start of the Israel-Hamas War.
On Friday, the IDF carried out an airstrike on Hezbollah's central headquarters, killing former secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah.
Previous IDF strikes have killed numerous senior Hezbollah terrorists in recent weeks, including a strike on Beirut that killed at least 16 high-ranking Hezbollah members, including Hezbollah's Operations Division chief Ibrahim Aliq.
This also follows a series of widespread incidents throughout Lebanon and Syria where several communications devices owned by members of Hezbollah, such as pagers and radios, mysteriously exploded, killing several and wounding thousands. Hezbollah and foreign reports accused Israel of being behind the incidents.
The Iran-backed terrorist group has also been firing numerous rockets, drones, and missiles at the Jewish state since the start of the Israel-Hamas War, with the frequent barrages forcing tens of thousands of Israelis to flee from their homes in the North.
