The Israeli military said it will go on in tandem with the Gaza conflict and in accordance with the situational assessment.
The Israeli army has said that it has begun a “limited, localized” ground invasion of Lebanon and that it will carry on in tandem with the conflict in besieged Gaza, contingent on the scenario assessment.
A military statement issued Tuesday morning stated that “in accordance with the decision of the political echelon, a few hours ago, the IDF (army) began limited, localised and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon.”
“These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel,” said the statement.
The military stated that “it is operating 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.”
The press release read, “The Israeli Air Force and IDF artillery are supporting the ground forces with precise strikes on military targets in the area.”
In addition, the statement made reference to the invasion, saying that “operation ‘Northern Arrows’ will continue according to the situational assessment and in parallel to combat in Gaza and in other areas.”
Amid rumors of an impending Israeli ground invasion into southern Lebanon, the Israeli army declared on Monday night that it is creating a closed military zone close to its borders with Lebanon.
An evaluation of the situation along the Israeli-Lebanese border areas preceded the announcement, according to a statement from the Israeli military.
The announcement also stated that admission is severely prohibited into the communities of Metula, Misgav Am, and Kfar Giladi in northern Israel, which are included in the closed military zone.
Hezbollah’s reaction
Simultaneously, Hezbollah reported that it targeted Israeli soldiers’ activities near the towns of Odaisseh and Kfarkela in southern Lebanon, claiming “confirmed hits.”
The organization added in a Telegram message that its members “targeted movements of Israeli enemy soldiers in the orchards near Odaisseh and Kfarkela with appropriate weapons.”
The organization then declared in a statement that it had used artillery rounds to “achieve a direct hit” on “an Israeli force at the gate of the Shtula settlement in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel.”
According to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, the army claimed that three rockets were found and successfully fell in an open area following the sounding of sirens near Shtula.
