Amid air raids and artillery fire, Israeli army enters Lebanon
BEIRUT, Lebanon – Following intensive bombing raids over Beirut, and artillery fire, the Israeli army has launched a ground invasion into Lebanon on the northern border.
The widely anticipated invasion follows weeks of bombings, and assassinations, culminating in the detonation of thousands of pagers and walkie talkies, and the dropping of eighty 2,000 pound bombs from a fleet of F-16 aircraft on residential buildings in Beirut on Friday, which reportedly killed hundreds of people including a raft of Hezbollah commanders, chief among them, the militant group’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
The offensive comes a day after U.S. President Joe Biden once again called for a ceasefire. Also Monday 95 people died in Lebanon from Israeli airstrikes, taking the death toll since last Monday above 1,000.
Tuesday’s ground invasion has been in the planning stage for months.
“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,” the Israeli military said in a statement posted Tuesday on X.
“These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel. The IDF 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 Israeli Air Force and IDF Artillery are supporting the ground forces with precise strikes on military targets in the area. These operations were approved and carried out in accordance with the decision of the political echelon,” the IDF statement said
“Operation “Northern Arrows” will continue according to the situational assessment and in parallel to combat in Gaza and in other arenas. The IDF is continuing to operate to achieve the goals of the war and is doing everything necessary to defend the citizens of Israel and return the citizens of northern Israel to their homes.”
Less than a week ago it was becoming clear a ground invasion was to occur. Last Wednesday the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, visited the brigade exercise of the 7th Brigade at the northern border, along with the Commanding Officer of the Northern Command, the Commanding Officer of the 98th Division, the Commanding Officer of the Ground Forces Training Center, the Commanding Officer of the 7th Brigade and additional commanders.
“You hear the jets overhead; we have been striking all day. This is both to prepare the ground for your possible entry and to continue degrading Hezbollah. Today, Hezbollah expanded its range of fire, and later today, they will receive a very strong response. Prepare yourselves,” Halevi told the assembled troops.
“Today, we will continue, we are not stopping; we keep striking and hitting them everywhere. The goal is very clear, to safely return the residents of the north. To achieve that, we are preparing the process of a maneuver, which means your military boots, your maneuvering boots, will enter enemy territory, enter villages that Hezbollah has prepared as large military outposts, with underground infrastructure, staging points, and launchpads into our territory and carry out attacks on Israeli civilians.”
“Your entry into those areas with force, your encounter with Hezbollah operatives, will show them what it means to face a professional, highly skilled, and battle-experienced force. You are coming in much stronger and far more experienced than they are. You will go in, destroy the enemy there, and decisively destroy their infrastructure. These are the things that will allow us to safely return the residents of the north afterward,” Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi told soldiers who right now are on the ground in Lebanon.