The Israeli Armed Forces announced in the early hours of Tuesday (1/10) that they had launched a “targeted and limited” incursion into Lebanon, in villages along the border, with the aim of dismantling Hezbollah.
Ground troops operating inside southern Lebanon are being reinforced by air and artillery forces, the army said, adding that the operation was based on plans drawn up by the IDF General Staff and Northern Command.
“As foreseen by a decision of the (Israeli) political leadership, forces (…) began a few hours ago limited, localized and targeted raids, based on specific information, against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon,” the Israeli military statement said. which was made public via Telegram and via X shortly after 02:00 (local and Greek time). “These targets are located in villages near the border and pose a direct threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel,” it said.
The Israeli military has said it will do “whatever is necessary to defend the citizens of Israel and for the residents of northern Israel to return to their homes,” something Benjamin Netanyahu’s government included in the middle of the month among its declared “goals » of the war.
In accordance with the decision of the political echelon, a few hours ago, the IDF began limited, localized, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon. These targets are located in villages…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 30, 2024
An official at a Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon, southern Lebanon, told AFP that the target of a shelling launched by Israel it was the home of a front-line Palestinian official.
“The Israeli raid targeted the home of Munir Makda’s son” in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Khilwa, the source explained, speaking on condition of anonymity. It is not clear at this stage whether Munir Makda, who Israeli authorities believe is the leader of the Lebanese branch of the armed wing of the Palestinian Fatah, was inside the house or not.
🚨🚨🚨
Munir Al Makdah was the target
Reports that he survived the strike pic.twitter.com/JFADSY3trU— 𝓂𝒶𝓇𝒾𝑜🇱🇧🇬🇧🇦🇪 (@MarioLeb79) October 1, 2024
Six new bombings
Before the IDF’s announcement, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel that their American counterparts had been told that the goal of the limited operation was to remove Hezbollah positions along Israel’s northern border, thus setting the stage for a diplomatic agreement under whose forces of the terrorist organization will be pushed beyond the Litani River, according to the decision of the UN Security Council.
According to an AFP source in the Lebanese security forces, at midnight there were six new bombings in Beirut’s southern suburbs, areas considered Hezbollah strongholds, shortly after Israel’s military warned residents to evacuate their homes urgently for their own safety.
A number of dead and wounded as a result of the Israeli raid on a camp #Ain_Al-Helweh For Palestinian refugees in the city #Sidon #South_Lebanon Rescue teams are working to remove the rubble and rescue those trapped#Israel #Israeli_Army #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/yMEWYvIlrF
– What happened (@shusar279) October 1, 2024
After Hezbollah was dealt a major blow on Friday when its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in a deadly bombing in a southern Beirut suburb, Israeli leaders said the war was far from over with the Iranian-aligned movement vowing enemy of Israel.
Since September 23, the Israeli armed forces have been launching non-stop, intensive aerial bombardments in Lebanon.
While the US had earlier on Monday expressed concern that even a limited incursion could spread further and turn into something else, the Biden administration appeared to voice its support for the raids in a phone call between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Defense Minister Yoav Gallad.
“We agreed on the necessity of dismantling the attack infrastructure along the border to ensure that Lebanese Hezbollah cannot carry out October 7-style attacks on Israel’s northern communities,” Austin said in a Pentagon readout of the call.
Lebanese army forces are leaving the border areas with Israel pic.twitter.com/egXUyM6FHN
— S p r i n t e r (@SprinterFamily) September 30, 2024
Hezbollah is resisting
Hezbollah fighters are “ready” for confrontation if Israel decides to “enter the territory” of the country, its deputy leader Naim Qassem said yesterday in his first live televised speech since the death of Hassan Nasrallah. “Israel has not been able to harm our military capabilities,” he further assured, stressing that his party will continue the fight against Israel “in support of Gaza.”
In a statement overnight, Hezbollah said it “targeted” Israeli troops “on the move” in wooded areas in the Lebanese communities of “Andaisha and Kfarkila”. An AFP source close to Hezbollah said the Israeli army elements targeted were “over the border”.
Video: Violent raids on the suburb
Join the “lebcnnews” group on WhatsApp:
⏬️⏬⏬https://t.co/VOuTHP3Mxh…
You can also follow our website via the following link: pic.twitter.com/8P9TmMnhyT
— lebcn.news (@LebCN_news) September 30, 2024
Hezbollah has yet to comment on the Israeli military’s announcement that it is conducting ground operations. The movement’s Al Manar television station, however, broadcast the announcement.
Lebanon’s armed forces, whose means do not compare to those of Hezbollah, have begun “deployment” of its units, further away from the border, an officer told AFP.
Syrian state media reported Israeli shelling of Damascus province overnight.
The official Syrian news agency SANA reported three civilians dead and nine others injured in the shelling. According to Syrian state television, journalist and TV presenter Safaa Ahmad is among the dead.
Calls for de-escalation
The ground operations were launched despite international leaders calling again yesterday for a de-escalation in the face of the risk of “total war” in the region.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed his opposition to any “ground invasion” by Israel in Lebanon. Present in Beirut, the head of French diplomacy, Jean-Noel Barot, also called on Israel to “refrain from any ground incursion” on Lebanese soil and conclude a cease-fire agreement.
“It must be avoided” any new Israeli military intervention in Lebanon, the outgoing head of European diplomacy, Giuseppe Borrell, also ruled.
Several countries, including Canada and Britain, announced flights to quickly evacuate their nationals from Lebanon. France has announced that it is sending a helicopter/landing ship in case military operations are needed to quickly evacuate French citizens to Lebanon.
Due to the intensity of the fighting, the UN announced yesterday that the peacekeepers deployed in Lebanon are no longer able to patrol the blue line.
The death toll from yesterday’s Israeli aerial bombardments in Lebanon reached 95 dead, the Ministry of Health announced late last night.
#urgent️🚨Explosions in the villages of southern Lebanon now. pic.twitter.com/AydQNN1sT4
— Moscow | 🇷🇺 MOSCOW NEWS (@M0SC0W0) September 30, 2024
The death of Nasrallah
The death of Hassan Nasrallah, considered by many to be the most powerful man in Lebanon, was celebrated in Israel as a major victory over Iran, Israel’s sworn enemy, and its allies, including Hamas.
Israel declares that it will fight its “enemies” and “eliminate” them wherever they are. There is “no location in the Middle East where Israel cannot reach,” reiterates Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Iran has made it clear that it will not deploy troops in Lebanon or the Gaza Strip to confront the Israeli armed forces, judging that “the governments of Lebanon and Palestine have the necessary capacity and power to counter the attack of the Zionist regime.” .
Since the middle of the month, the Israeli armed forces have been concentrating their operations in the north.
At the same time, they continue to operate in the besieged Gaza Strip, in ruins after almost a year of war, but the intensity of operations there seemed to be decreasing in recent days.
But at least eleven Palestinians, including women and children, were killed in the early hours of the morning in a shelling targeting a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp (center), first aid workers told Reuters news agency.
Source: Times of Israel, APE, Reuters, dpa
#Middle #East #Israel #invades #Lebanon #Hezbollah #resists
