Israel invades southern Lebanon

The Israeli army announced early today that it had sent its ground troops into southern Lebanon.

A military statement said that “in accordance with the decision of the political echelon, a few hours ago, the IDF [occupation army] began limited, localised and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon.”

“These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel,” the statement added.

The military noted that “it is operating according to a methodical plan set out by the General Staff and the Northern Command which IDF soldiers have trained and prepared for in recent months.”

The statement said, “the Israeli Air Force and IDF artillery are supporting the ground forces with precise strikes on military targets in the area.”

Referring to the operation, the statement added that “operation ‘Northern Arrows’ will continue according to the situational assessment and in parallel to combat in Gaza and in other arenas.”

The Israeli army announced yesterday evening that it is establishing a closed military zone near the country’s borders with Lebanon amid reports of an imminent Israeli ground offensive into southern Lebanon.

According to an Israeli military statement, the announcement came following an assessment of the situation along Israeli-Lebanese border areas.

The statement added that the closed military zone covers the settlements of Metula, Misgav Am and Kfar Giladi in northern Israel, strictly prohibiting entry.

Israel also launched air strikes on three areas in the southern suburbs of Beirut yesterday evening, just minutes after issuing urgent evacuation orders for those areas.

READ: Israel strikes Palestine refugee camp in southern Lebanon