The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reportedly pulled back from Lebanon’s border with Israel, as Israel began shelling Hezbollah positions ahead of a ground assault on Monday night.

As Breitbart News reported, citing other media reports, Israel had informed the U.S. of its plans for a “limited” ground operation in Lebanon to remove Hezbollah outposts.

Reports circulated Monday that the LAF and UNIFIL had withdrawn. The Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that the LAF had begun repositioning its forces in response to information about Israeli troop movements from the U.S.

There were also unconfirmed reports that UNIFIL, which is meant to enforce United Nations Security Council resolutions against Hezbollah’s presence near the border, but has failed to do so, also withdrew from some positions.

The Times of Israel reported that there was “heavy” Israeli shelling reported near a Lebanese border town. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declared the area around Israel’s northernmost border communities to be a closed military zone.

The Israel Defense Forces declared the area around Metula, Kfar Giladi, and Misgav Am to be a closed military zone as of Sep. 30, 2024. Geographic place names are indicated in Hebrew. (IDF)

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday afternoon that the Biden administration understood that Israel’s strategic purpose was “to make sure that Hezbollah cannot maintain the capacity to attack Israeli communities from the immediate opposite side of the border.”

She reiterated President Joe Biden’s call for a ceasefire.

Update: The IDF’s Arabic spokesperson, Avihay Adraee, posted maps of buildings in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital city, that he said local residents should avoid:

IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari asked Israelis not to share reports about troop movements and to await official reports:

Update: UNIFIL later denied that it was repositioning in response to Israel’s entry on the ground in Lebanon.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

This post has been updated.