Israel launches ground offensive in Lebanon

KABUL (Pajhwok): Upping the ante, Israeli troops launched a ground offensive in southern Lebanon early Tuesday morning, the Associated Press reported.

The operation, coming amid hostilities in Gaza and other Palestinian cities, represents a major escalation of the Israeli military campaign against Hezbollah fighters.

In a brief statement, the Israeli military said it had initiated “limited, localised and targeted ground raids” against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

Israeli artillery units struck targets in Lebanon Monday evening, when the sounds of airstrikes were heard across Beirut.

In an air raid on the Lebanese group’s headquarters in Beirut on Friday, Israel killed longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Meanwhile, the White House National Security Council backed Israel’s “limited operations” and said they were consistent with the Jewish state’s right to self-defence.

But an expansion of the offensive posed a risk, the council warned, calling a diplomatic solution the only way to achieve stability along Israel’s border with Lebanon.

“We support Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah and all Iranian-backed terror groups. Of course, we know that mission creep can be a risk and we will keep discussing that with the Israelis,” the NSC added.

On Monday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin phoned Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant “to review security developments and Israeli operations.”

A statement from the Pentagon said the defence officials “agreed on the necessity of dismantling attack infrastructure along the border to ensure that Hizballah cannot conduct October 7-style attacks on Israel’s northern communities.”

According to CNN, Israeli strikes killed at least 13 people and wounded several others in central Gaza late Monday night.

The casualties resulted from two Israeli attacks on the Nuseirat refugee camp, the report said, citing officials at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital and Al-Awda Hospital.

PAN Monitor/mud