Israel expands ground operations in Lebanon, deepens invasion | Today’s news

Israel expanded its ground offensive in Lebanon on Sunday in its most extensive incursion into the country in a quarter century, as Hezbollah – Iran’s most powerful regional ally – stepped up its attacks on northern Israel.

According to the Israeli military, Hezbollah fired more than 300 “projectiles” at its troops in Lebanon and northern Israel over the weekend. The latest escalation shattered a fragile ceasefire declared after the Tehran-backed group attacked Israel in response to its war with Iran, which it launched with the US on February 28.

The Israel Defense Forces wrapped up a military operation that began several days ago, saying in a statement that they had crossed the Litani River and were near Shiite-majority Nabatieh – one of the largest cities in southern Lebanon – which the IDF describes as a Hezbollah stronghold.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF had placed the Israeli flag on the historic Beaufort Castle near Nabatieh, adding that the military occupation in Lebanon had created a “permanent presence” in the region.

The escalation comes after the US hosted a fourth round of ceasefire talks between Israel and Lebanon earlier this week. Lebanon is demanding a full ceasefire, and Israel wants a guarantee that Hezbollah – which has rejected the talks and is not participating – will be completely rooted out of southern Lebanon.

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah resumed after the group’s militant wing began firing rockets into northern Israel in March in response to the war with Iran. Israel responded with a series of devastating airstrikes in southern Lebanon and Beirut, killing 3,370 people and injuring 10,000 others, Lebanon’s health ministry said.

More than 20 Israeli soldiers and four Israeli civilians were killed. Many residents in communities near the border with Lebanon have fled their homes. Israeli schools in a zone stretching 20 kilometers south of the border were ordered to close and restrictions were imposed on public gatherings.

While Israel has stepped up its operations in Lebanon, the Islamic Republic and Washington have been locked in a stalemate over an initial deal that would end both Iran’s effective blockade of shipping in the oil-rich Persian Gulf and the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, potentially paving the way for a permanent truce between the longtime foes.

Iran demands that any peace deal with the US include an end to the conflict in Lebanon. President Donald Trump indicated earlier in the week that an Iran deal was close, but the absence of any announcement after a two-hour Situation Room meeting on Friday was the latest conflicting signal from Washington about the prospects for a deal with Tehran.

Israel’s latest military advance may complicate those negotiations as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and political hardliners at the center of Iran’s warlord leadership face pressure to secure some tangible gains as they successfully leveraged their geographic dominance over the critical Strait of Hormuz and withstood weeks of military bombardment amid a major economic crisis.

“This campaign is not over. We are united and determined to crush the power of Hezbollah and complete our mission: to provide lasting security for the people of the North,” Katz said in a statement.

Thousands of residents of dozens of towns and villages in southern Lebanon have been ordered by the IDF to leave their homes ahead of attacks on Hezbollah targets and a deeper push into the region. Displacement worsens an already dire humanitarian situation.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said his country did not choose this war with Israel and said negotiations were the least costly alternative. “Do negotiations come with a guaranteed outcome? Certainly not. But it is the least costly path for our country and our people compared to today’s alternatives,” Salam told reporters at the Grand Serail on Saturday night.

Israel has also begun ramping up its operations in Gaza in recent weeks as it prepares to expand its occupation of the devastated Palestinian enclave to 70% of the land, in line with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s order.

Netanyahu did not give a time frame for the expanded land grab, which would further stretch Israel’s military, which has been at war for the past two and a half years. The multi-front conflict that sparked Hamas’ October 2023 attack on Israel is the longest and most expensive in the Jewish state’s history, with a price tag of 405 billion shekels by the end of this year, according to the Bank of Israel.

This article was generated from an automated news agency source without text modification.