Israeli troops enter Lebanon in significant escalation of Hizbullah offensive

Israeli ground forces crossed into southern Lebanon early on Tuesday, marking a significant escalation of an offensive against Hizbullah militants and opening a new front in a year-long war against its Iranian-backed adversaries.
The incursion follows weeks of heavy blows by Israel against Hizbullah – including an air strike that killed its long-time leader, Hassan Nasrallah – and seeks to step up the pressure on the group, which began firing rockets into northern Israel after the start of the war in Gaza.
Israel’s military has ordered the residents of about 30 border villages in south Lebanon to evacuate, telling them to head north of the Awali river, nearly 35 miles (56km) from the border. The Awali river is a bit north of Sidon, far beyond what is now considered the theatre of fighting in Lebanon.
It is unclear why Israel ordered residents of certain towns in the south, and not neighbouring ones, to evacuate, nor is it clear why they ordered them to evacuate so far north.
The last time Israel and Hizbullah engaged in ground combat was in 2006.
The Israeli military said in a brief statement that it began “limited, localised and targeted ground raids” against Hizbullah targets in southern Lebanon.
“These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel,” it said.
There was no word on how long the operation would last, but the army said soldiers had been training and preparing for the mission in recent months.
Israel has said it will continue to strike the group until it is safe for displaced Israelis from border communities to return to their homes.
In advance of the Israeli announcement, United States officials said Israel launched small ground raids inside Lebanon, and Israel declared three small border communities to be a “closed military zone”, restricting access only to army personnel.
There were no reports of direct clashes between Israeli troops and Hizbullah militants. But throughout the evening, Israeli artillery units pounded targets in southern Lebanon and the sounds of air strikes were heard throughout Beirut.
Smoke rose from the capital’s southern suburbs, where Hizbullah has a strong presence, shortly after Israel ordered residents of three buildings to evacuate.
The army has heavily beefed up forces along the border in recent days, and commanders have said they are prepared to go into Lebanon.
Israeli strikes in recent weeks have hit what the military says are thousands of militant targets across large parts of Lebanon. More than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon in the past two weeks, nearly a quarter of them women and children, according to the health ministry.
Taoiseach Simon Harris said that Irish citizens have been advised to leave or make arrangements to leave while it is still possible.
Speaking on Tuesday morning, Mr Harris said: “The Government advice to Irish citizens in Lebanon has been consistent now for quite a significant period of time, in asking those people to leave and asking to register with our embassy and consulate structures and to make arrangements to leave.
“That has been our advice for a significant period of time, and remains, of course, our advice today.”
He also paid tribute to Irish troops in Lebanon, saying their safety “remains absolutely paramount”.
“I specifically met the secretary general of the United Nations Antonio Guterres last week on this and got an operational update from him as things were then,” Mr Harris added.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin said there are between 140 and 150 registered Irish citizens in Lebanon along with Irish troops serving with Unifil.
“The troops are safe,” he said on Monday morning. “I spoke with the Chief of Staff late last night as news of the limited incursion was beginning to break. It’s in a different area as to where our troops are located. Obviously, the escalation heightens concerns, but they are safe. They’re professional soldiers. Unifil is doing everything it can at command level to make sure that the peacekeepers are protected in the context of the escalation that is occurring.” – Agencies