EXPLAINERAs Israel intensifies its attacks on Lebanon, we examine its motives and what is known so far.Israel has announced “ground raids” into southern Lebanon, escalating its military operations inside its northern neighbour’s territory.
The attacks, supported by air strikes and artillery, commenced early Tuesday morning, and Israel said it was targeting the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in villages near the border with Israel.
But Hezbollah denied that Israeli troops had crossed over into Lebanon, even as experts cited mounting evidence pointing to an imminent Israeli invasion.
Here’s what we know about the latest developments.
What has Israel said?
At around 2am (23:00 GMT), the Israeli military said its soldiers had started entering Lebanon “a few hours ago”, with “limited, localised, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence”.
The offensive follows two weeks of intense attacks by Israel on Lebanon, including an air strike that resulted in the killing of Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah. According to Lebanon’s health ministry, attacks in the past 24 hours have resulted in at least 95 deaths across southern Lebanon, northeastern regions, and the capital, Beirut.
On Tuesday, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari emphasised that Israeli forces carried out limited and targeted raids.
He added that Israeli forces have been conducting “dozens of operations” in southern Lebanon “in the last months”.
The Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) said Israel struck several locations with air strikes, artillery shelling, and heavy machine gun fire on Tuesday.
Israeli columnist Gideon Levy stated that Israel is in the initial phase of its ground operation in Lebanon, warning that the operation could become “complicated”.
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