It is the first time the Israeli military has sent large numbers of troops into the country since 2006
The ground operation was approved in an Israeli cabinet meeting on Monday night shortly after the military declared a closed military zone in three villages north of the country.and a series of assassinations of Hezbollah commanders, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah, in an attempt to stop nearly a year of rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel.
It is the IDF’s first ground incursion into Lebanon since 2006, when it battled with the Iran-backed group in a 34-day conflict that resulted in the deaths of 1,100 Lebanese and 43 Israelis.with Israel’s occupation of Lebanon, but current hostilities began last October after Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel in solidarity with its ally Hamas.
Matthew Miller, the US State Department spokesman, said Israeli officials have told the US that they are conducting “limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border”.“Israel has a right to defend itself against Hezbollah,” Mr Miller said on Monday, adding that “we want to ultimately see a diplomatic resolution to this conflict, one that allows citizens on both sides of the border to return to their homes”.
Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant had strongly hinted that the army was preparing to launch a ground offensive in Lebanon on Monday, when he told troops gathered on the northern border that Israel would do whatever it takes to ensure the return of about 60,000 citizens who have fled Hezbollah rockets during nearly a year of border warfare.
On 25 September, IDF Chief of Staff Lt-Gen Herzi Halevi told soldiers that the army was readying to put boots on the ground in Lebanon.
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