What's known about Israel's ground invasion of Lebanon so far?
Srinagar, Oct 1: On Monday night, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched the ground invasion of Lebanon after killing the militant group Hezbollah's leader and battering the south suburbs of the region with intensified air strikes for two weeks.
The IDF called their invasion as “limited, localized, and targeted ground raids” against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. In the latest developments under the Operation Northern Arrows.
The invasion comes hours after Israeli airstrikes and artillery bombarded the Lebanese border as Israeli authorities restricted civillian movements in some of their border communities.
The strikes killed 95 people and injured 172 more, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
The IDF reportedly has about five brigades currently on standby, but not all of them are expected to move across the border, The Sputnik reported.
The Israeli operation forced Lebanese troops to retreat three miles (about five kilometers) from their positions along the country's southern border with Israel.
Hezbollah today morning said it targeted Israeli soldiers carrying out “movements” in orchards near the border.
On Tuesday afternoon, Hamas said that missile sirens are ringing in occupied Safad, “Rosh Pina,” “Dalton,” , Metulla and surrounding settlements in northeastern occupied Palestine.
In the Balata camp in Nablus, reports of intense armed clashes between resistance and occupational forces are coming in. The clashes erupted after the IDF's special forces were seen in the camp.
In neighboring Syria, three people were killed and nine more injured as a result of Israel's “air aggression with warplanes and drones” against Damascus, Syrian state media reported, citing a military source.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant agreed during their phone call on “the necessity of dismantling attack infrastructure” along the Israeli border to ensure that Hezbollah cannot launch an attack on northern Israel, according to the Pentagon.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy urged British nationals to leave Lebanon immediately, warning that the conflict could “escalate in a major way.”
Hezbollah's deputy leader, Naim Qassem, stressed that his group was ready for an Israeli ground offensive and that the battle “may be long.”