Israeli ground forces have now entered Lebanon, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed in a statement on X. The operations have been backed by the US, while both the EU and the UN have called for a halt to the ground attacks.
In addition to the widely publicised pager raid, Israel has carried out massive bombings in Lebanon over the past two weeks, including in the capital Beirut, killing Iranian-backed Shia militia leader Hassan Nasrallah. Now Israeli forces have confirmed that they have crossed the Lebanese border in what they say is an operation to strike targets that ‘pose an imminent threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel’.
In accordance with the decision of the political echelon, 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. These targets are located in villages…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 30, 2024
Supported by the US
Israel is backed by the US, which said in a Pentagon press release that, based on discussions with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, it understood that the ground raids were aimed at dismantling attack infrastructure along the Lebanese border to prevent “October 7-style attacks” on Israel.
Secretary Austin reiterated US support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and other Iranian-backed terrorist organisations.
Following an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday, the EU foreign affairs chief appeals to Israel to refrain from further military operations in Lebanon.
– Any further military intervention would dramatically aggravate the situation and it has to be avoided, said Mr Borrell.
The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has commented on the developments, saying that the UN “does not want to see any kind of ground invasion” of Lebanon by Israel, according to the BBC.
Hezbollah has reportedly responded with rocket attacks against a wide range of Israeli targets.
The last time Israeli ground forces entered Lebanese territory was in 2006.
