Following two weeks of destructive bombings targeting Hezbollah’s headquarters and weapons sites, Israel said on Tuesday that its soldiers had begun conducting raids inside Lebanon.
According to the Israeli military, the elite 98th division, which was transferred from Gaza, where they had been battling for months, to the northern front two weeks ago, included paratroopers and commandos in the operations that started on Monday night.
It stated that Hezbollah was conducting “limited, localized, and targeted ground raids” against its forces in southern Lebanon villages, which it claimed constituted “an immediate danger to Israeli towns in northern Israel,” with the help of its air force and artillery.
Israeli forces had entered Lebanon overnight for the purpose of reconnaissance and questioning, a Lebanese security insider told Reuters.
According to the reports, Lebanese forces withdrew from their posts near the border.
A spokesperson for the Lebanese army did neither affirm or refute the movement.
Throughout the last year of hostilities, the army of Lebanon has refrained from firing on the Israeli force, continuing a tradition of staying out of major wars with Israel.
The operation into Lebanon signals an escalation of the crisis in the Middle East between Israel and Tehran-backed Hezbollah that now threatens to drag in the US and Iran.
The village of Aita al-Shaab, which borders Lebanon, was hit hard by shelling, and nearby residents heard helicopters and drones flying overhead.
Over the border town of Rmeish in Lebanon, flares were fired frequently, lighting up the night sky.
Hezbollah,said on Tuesday that it had twice used artillery and rocket fire to strike Israeli forces stationed across the border in Metula. However, the group made no mention of Israel’s recent combat incursions into Lebanon.
