Israel’s already expected ground offensive in Lebanon begins. Hezbollah had previously shown itself ready to fight. The weapons are not silent elsewhere either. How far will the situation escalate?
With Israel launching a ground offensive against the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon during the night, the situation in the Middle East has reached a new level of escalation. The Israeli army spoke of “limited” attacks on targets near the border, calling them an immediate threat to communities in northern Israel. Israel’s air force also bombed targets near the Lebanese capital Beirut again late in the evening. The situation in Lebanon is dramatic: According to Lebanese information, almost 100 people died in the country within 24 hours. Meanwhile, rockets were flying towards Israel again.
Israel’s army said on These targets of the pro-Iranian Shiite militia were located in villages near the border and posed an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel.
The Israeli Air Force and artillery supported ground forces with precision strikes on military targets in the area. The army is doing everything necessary to defend the citizens of Israel and return the citizens of northern Israel to their homes. The operation will continue in parallel with the fighting in the Gaza Strip against Hamas and in other areas. The soldiers have been trained for the mission over the past few months. Israel wants to allow the return of 60,000 Israelis who have been displaced from areas along the border by Hezbollah attacks for months.
On Monday, the leadership of the Islamist militia spoke out for the first time after the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and signaled their willingness to fight. “We know the fight could be long and are prepared for all possibilities,” Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Kassim said in a televised speech. “If Israel decides to launch a ground offensive: we are ready.” He did not say who would lead Hezbollah.
Rockets also flew into Israel early Tuesday morning. The army said on Telegram that around ten shells had been intercepted in the Meron area in northern Israel. Some crashed in open areas. In addition, air defense recently intercepted a drone dozens of kilometers off the coast of central Israel, it said. According to its own account, Hezbollah attacked Israeli soldiers near the southern border. It was said in the evening that they were moving in fruit groves near the border on the Israeli side. There were also casualties on the Israeli side as a result of the attacks.
The conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah militia had recently worsened dramatically. The Israeli military has been massively attacking targets in the neighboring country for days, including Hezbollah weapons depots. Lebanon reported hundreds of deaths and injuries. On Friday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other Hezbollah fighters were killed in a targeted Israeli airstrike.
Hezbollah has also been firing hundreds of rockets at Israel on some days since the intense fighting began again. After the Gaza war broke out, the militia opened its so-called “Solidarity Front” and fired thousands of rockets into Israel.
