Foreign Affairs

Israel Begins Ground Operation In Lebanon As Conflict With Hezbollah Heats Up

(Screen Capture/CSPAN)

The Israeli military announced it was beginning a ground operation in Lebanon on Monday as the conflict with the terrorist group Hezbollah rapidly escalates.

Israel and Hezbollah have been locked in conflict for nearly a year, but tensions and cross-border skirmishes between the two have escalated dramatically in recent weeks. In the latest move, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began narrowly targeted ground raids in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah targets on Monday, in what could be the prelude to a much larger ground invasion over the Israel-Lebanon border, according to a statement Monday from the IDF.

“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 IDF said in the statement. “These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel.”

#WATCH: Israeli strikes destroy Hezbollah weapons cache in Beirut pic.twitter.com/XxecRhIN2P

— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) September 30, 2024

The IDF noted that the operation, dubbed “Northern Arrows,” is being carried out 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.”

IDF Air Force and artillery units are complementing ground forces in the operation; Israel also continues to carry out airstrikes against targets in Lebanon. There were reports of explosions in Syria on Monday as well, although the IDF has not confirmed it was their doing.

“Operation ‘Northern Arrows’ will continue according to the situational assessment and in parallel to combat in Gaza and in other arenas,” the IDF said in a statement. “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.”

Though the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has garnered international attention, the growing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could present the risk of a much wider regional war. Hezbollah began attacking Israel last October when Hamas terrorists invaded the country and killed roughly 1,200 people.

The two have since engaged in cross-border conflicts that have seemingly reached a boiling point in recent weeks. After delivering a multitude of blows to Hezbollah through airstrikes and sweeping, targeted remote explosions, Israel killed the terrorist group’s leader in a strike on Friday.