Oct. 1 (UPI) — Israel launched a limited ground incursion into Lebanon early Tuesday to drive Hezbollah forces away from the Israeli border. The ground operation follows hours of artillery fire across the border and airstrikes in southern Beirut.
“The IDF began a targeted and limited ground operation in the area of southern Lebanon against terrorist targets and infrastructures of the terrorist organization Hezbollah, in a number of villages near the border, which pose an immediate and real threat to Israeli settlements on the northern border,” the Israeli military said in a statement early Tuesday.
While officials declined to give a timeline, they insisted there will be “no long-term occupation of southern Lebanon,” adding that the operation is focused on removing “immediate threats” along the border.
Over the past 24 hours, Lebanon’s health ministry said nearly 100 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley and Beirut.
Hezbollah’s media relations announced in a statement that “there is no truth to the false claims of the Zionist enemy about the presence of weapons or weapons stores in civilian buildings, including the Al-Sirat Channel building that was targeted by shelling in the southern suburb yesterday.”
Media relations official Mohammad Afif said in a statement to Al Jazeera that “there have not been any direct ground clashes yet between the resistance fighters and the occupation forces, and all the Zionist claims that the occupation forces entered Lebanon are false.”
He said that “the bombing of the 8200 Military Intelligence Base and the Mossad headquarters is only the beginning,” stressing that “we will inflict the greatest losses on the enemy forces that are trying to enter Lebanese territory,” adding, “Our fighters are ready to confront the enemy forces that dare or try to enter Lebanese territory.”
For his part, member of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, MP Hassan Fadlallah, said in a television statement that “the resistance is fully prepared for a ground engagement, and this is left to the field, the field leaders, and the alternative plans that the resistance has put in place and approved by Sayyed Nasrallah before his martyrdom.”
On Monday, an apartment building in central Beirut was hit, the first apparent Israeli strike on the capital outside of Hezbollah’s stronghold in the southern suburbs. Three leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine group were killed by an Israeli airstrike in the Kola area of Beirut.
“This is what they have informed us that they are currently conducting, which are limited operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure near the border,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters Monday.
Lebanese media also reported heavy Israeli artillery shelling at the border village of Wazzani, close to Ghajar.
Israel Defense Forces have been urging Lebanese civilians in Beirut to evacuate immediately, to clear the area as they prepared to push Hezbollah forces away from the Israeli border. Specifically, the IDF warned Lebanese civilians to clear the area near several buildings in the Hezbollah stronghold, known as Dahiyeh.
“You are in the vicinity of Hezbollah facilities and the IDF will act forcefully against them. For your safety and the safety of your family members, you must evacuate these buildings immediately and stay at least 500 meters away from them,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, warned Monday in a post on X.
#عاجل ‼️ انذار عاجل إلى سكان الضاحية الجنوبية في بيروت
إلى جميع المتواجدين في المباني المحددة في الخرائط المحددة والمباني المجاورة لها في الأحياء التالية:
⭕️الليلكي
⭕️حارة حريك
⭕️برج البراجنة
أنتم متواجدون بالقرب من مصالح ومنشآت تابعة لحزب الله الإرهابي ولذلك سوف يعمل جيش… pic.twitter.com/N60UKlRxmV— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) September 30, 2024
Britain also chartered a flight to help British citizens leave Lebanon. The flight is scheduled to leave Beirut on Wednesday.
In remarks before boarding Air Force One in Delaware on Monday, President Joe Biden told reporters he would not deploy more U.S. troops to the Middle East, and plans to talk with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Yes. I will be talking to him, and I’ll tell you what I say to him when I talk to him,” Biden said.
At the White House, Biden called for a cease-fire “right now” when asked about Israel’s plan to invade Lebanon in its fight against Hezbollah.
“I’m more aware than you might know and I’m comfortable with them stopping,” the president told reporters. “We should have a cease-fire right now.”
“Israel has a right to defend itself against Hezbollah and Iran-backed groups,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday. “We’re in constant discussion with the Israelis on the best way to move forward,” adding, “Of course, we want to see a cease-fire.”
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant on Monday to review security developments and Israeli operations before the ground operation. Austin also reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis and other Iran-backed terrorist organizations.
On Monday, Netanyahu posted a statement to the “people of Iran” that they “deserve better.” The statement comes two days after Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in southern Beirut.
“There is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach. There is nowhere we will not go to protect our people and protect our country,” Netanyahu said.
“Don’t let a small group of fanatic theocrats crush your hopes and your dreams,” he added. “You deserve better.”
The people of Iran should know – Israel stands with you pic.twitter.com/MfwfNqnTgE— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) September 30, 2024
More than 100,000 Lebanese nationals and Syrians living in Lebanon have fled the Israeli airstrikes and crossed into Syria, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Fillipo Grandi,” who said Monday that “the outflow continues.”
The number of people who have crossed into Syria from Lebanon fleeing Israeli airstrikes – Lebanese and Syrian nationals – has reached 100,000. The outflow continues.
UNHCR is present at four crossing points alongside local authorities and @SYRedCrescent to support new arrivals. pic.twitter.com/7dtrghsMH4— Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) September 30, 2024
France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot also spoke to reporters Monday at the Pine Residence, the official residence of the French ambassador to Lebanon, in Beirut’s Horsh district, where he urged Israel not to send ground troops into Lebanon and called on Israel and Hezbollah to immediately agree to a cease-fire.
“I urge Israel to refrain from any ground incursion and to cease fire,” Barrot said. “I call on Hezbollah to do the same and to refrain from any action likely to lead to regional destabilization.”