Israeli forces have begun “limited, localized, and targeted” ground raids in Lebanon two days after it killed the group’s chief Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike, threatening to worsen the Middle East crisis.
Here are the top 10 points in this big story:
- The ground raids target Hezbollah infrastructure in villages in south Lebanon, close to the border, which pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel, said the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), asserting that Operation “Northern Arrows” will continue in parallel to the fighting in Gaza and in other arenas.
- Israel conducted at least six strikes on south Beirut after ordering the residents to evacuate, according to a Lebanese official. A Palestinian camp in south Lebanon was among those hit by the airstrikes, said an official.
- Hezbollah’s deputy leader Naim Qassem, in his first televised speech since Nasrallah’s death, said they were ready if Israel “decides to enter by land”. The group has said in a statement they “targeted” Israeli troops in orchards near the Lebanese border.
- World leaders, including the United Nations Secretary-General and US President Joe Biden, had opposed a ground invasion into Lebanon and called for a ceasefire.
- Israel and Hezbollah, which runs Lebanon, have been defiant and ignoring global calls for a ceasefire. Israel has been pounding Beirut with airstrikes, killing hundreds of people over the past week and forcing thousands to flee, according to Lebanese officials.
- Israeli army ordered people in southern Beirut to evacuate last evening. “You are located near interests and facilities belonging to the terrorist Hezbollah group. For your safety and the safety of your family members, you must evacuate the buildings immediately and stay away from them,” said the group’s military spokesman Avichay Adraee.
- Hassan Nasrallah, who was the chief of Hezbollah, was killed in a massive airstrike on Beirut on Friday. But Israel had vowed the battle was still on. The killing of Nasrallah was “an important step, but not the final one,” their defence minister had said.
- Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant had also warned they will use “all the means that may be required” to fight the battle in northern Israel, which shares border with Lebanon – “from the air, from the sea, and on land”.
- Meanwhile, three civilians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Damascus, according to the state media. The official SANA agency said Israeli warplanes and drones launched attacks from the direction of the Syrian Golan, targeting several points in Damascus.
- Israel’s war with Hezbollah marks a shift in focus from Gaza, where Hamas operatives have been fighting an Israeli ground operation for months. Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the Palestinian Hamas group.
