The Israeli army announced early Tuesday that it launched a ground operation in southern Lebanon.
A military statement said that “in accordance with the decision of the political echelon, a few hours ago, the IDF (army) began limited, localized and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon.”
“These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel,” the statement added.
The military noted that “it is operating according to a methodical plan set out by the General Staff and the Northern Command which IDF soldiers have trained and prepared for in recent months.”
The statement said “the Israeli Air Force and IDF artillery are supporting the ground forces with precise strikes on military targets in the area.”
Referring to the operation, the statement added that “operation ‘Northern Arrows’ will continue according to the situational assessment and in parallel to combat in Gaza and in other arenas.”
The Israeli army announced Monday evening that it is establishing a closed military zone near the country’s borders with Lebanon amid reports of an imminent Israeli ground offensive into southern Lebanon.
According to an Israeli military statement, the announcement came following an assessment of the situation along Israeli-Lebanese border areas.
The statement added that the closed military zone covers the settlements of Metula, Misgav Am and Kfar Giladi in northern Israel, strictly prohibiting entry.
In a related development, the Israeli army launched airstrikes on three areas in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday evening, just minutes after issuing urgent evacuation orders for the areas in the Lebanese capital.
Earlier, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted an “urgent warning to the residents of the southern suburbs of Beirut” on his account on the X platform, sharing maps of buildings where he urged residents and those in nearby structures to evacuate.
The evacuation orders targeted the neighborhoods of Laylaki, Haret Hreik and Burj al-Barajneh.
Adraee claimed the buildings were “near Hezbollah-affiliated facilities and sites,” adding “the Israeli army will act against them with force.”
Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 960 people and injuring over 2,770 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Several Hezbollah leaders have been killed in the assault, including the group’s Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah.
Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, most of them women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.
The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.