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JERUSALEM:
Israel’s military said Monday it was carrying out what it described as “limited” ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, as Beirut said more than one million people had displaced in two weeks of fighting.
Israel’s defence minister warned that those displaced in Lebanon would not return home until northern Israel was secure, while Hezbollah said it targeted a north Israel city where first responders reported a man was wounded.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2 when Tehran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.
Israel has responded with broad air raids on its northern neighbour and troop incursions into border areas.
An Israeli military statement said that in recent days its troops “have begun limited and targeted ground operations against key Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon”.
“This activity is part of broader defensive efforts” and includes “the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the elimination of terrorists… in order to remove threats and create an additional layer of security for residents of northern Israel,” it said.
The ground operations were preceded by air and artillery strikes, it added.
The announcement echoes similar statements issued in 2024, when Israel and Hezbollah fought a major war in Lebanon, and in 2023, when the military launched a ground assault in Gaza in response to Hamas’s October 7 attacks.
Nahariya
Hezbollah said it launched rockets and attack drones at the northern Israeli city of Nahariya on Monday.
Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency responders said paramedics were treating a man “in mild to moderate condition suffering from blast injuries” and six other people for smoke inhalation.
Military sources quoted by Israel’s public broadcaster KAN said the impact was caused by a rocket, while MDA paramedic Yonatan Avilea said the strike hit between two buildings, sparking a blaze.
