Hezbollah reported the first contact with Israeli infantry in southern Lebanon

For the first time since Israel announced a ground operation in Lebanon, Lebanon’s Shiite movement Hezbollah said it was engaged in a battle with Israeli army infantry near the southern village of Odaisei, reports RIA Novosti.

“Anti-Islamic fighters at dawn on Wednesday … are meeting and engaging Israeli military forces who were trying to enter the town of Odiseh from Khalet al-Mahafer, bringing in casualties and bringing them back,” he said in a statement on the “Islamic Resistance” Telegram channel.

The Israeli army then announced heavy fighting in southern Lebanon and urged local residents to refrain from traveling south of the Litani River. The situation on the border between Lebanon and Israel remains tense since the start of the hostilities in the Gaza Strip last October.

On Monday, the Israeli military said it had launched limited ground attacks against the Shiite Hezbollah movement in the border region of southern Lebanon. It included units from the 98th Division, commandos, paratroopers and armored vehicles from the 7th IS Brigade. The Lebanese army withdrew from some positions on the southern border.

The situation escalated after communication equipment exploded simultaneously in different areas of Lebanon on September 17 and 18: first pagers, then mobile devices the next day. As the media reported, they were mostly used by Hezbollah members. According to official data, 37 people died, and more than three thousand were injured. The Lebanese authorities blamed Israel for what happened. Tel Aviv neither confirmed nor denied involvement.