In the early hours of Tuesday, Hezbollah announced that it had targeted the movements of Israeli soldiers near the southern Lebanese border. The group’s statement confirmed that fighters engaged Israeli forces with appropriate weapons in orchards facing the Lebanese towns of Adaisseh and Kfarkila, and claimed to have inflicted casualties.
In a second statement, Hezbollah reported that it had launched artillery fire on an Israeli force at the gate of the Shetula settlement, a location close to the border.
Sources Confirm Military Engagement
Lebanese sources confirmed that Hezbollah had directed its fire towards a “military target” near the Israeli Zarit base, located in northern Israel.
On the Israeli side, the Israeli army announced early Tuesday that it had begun a ground operation in southern Lebanon. According to the Israeli military, “limited, targeted raids” were conducted on Hezbollah targets near the border area of South Lebanon.
Israeli Army Response
The Israeli army’s statement specified that the targeted locations were in villages near the border, posing an immediate threat to civilian areas in northern Israel. The army added that the air force and artillery units were supporting ground troops with precise strikes on Hezbollah military targets.
The statement emphasized that Operation Northern Arrows would continue based on real-time assessments, while addressing other conflicts such as the ongoing fighting in Gaza. The Israeli military confirmed that the operations had been approved and were being executed according to political decisions.
U.S. Comments on the Conflict
On Monday, the U.S. State Department confirmed that Israel was conducting limited military operations aimed at Hezbollah within Lebanese territory. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “They have informed us that they are currently carrying out limited operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure near the border.”
Airstrikes Over Beirut
Reports from Lebanon on Tuesday morning indicated the presence of Israeli aircraft flying over Beirut and its southern suburbs. Late on Monday, Israeli airstrikes were reported in areas such as Lailaki, Marijeh, Rweiss, and Bir al-Abed, all located in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Israeli airstrikes also targeted locations close to Beirut’s international airport, adding to the intensifying conflict along the border.
