The Israeli Army launched this Monday new “limited ground operations” against “key strongholds” of the Lebanese Shiite party-militia Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, within the framework of the campaign of bombings and ground operations against the country in recent weeks, in the context of the conflict in the Middle East following the offensive launched on February 28 by the United States and Israel against Iran.
“Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops have begun limited and selective ground operations against key Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, with the aim of improving the forward defense zone,” the Israeli Army said in a message published on its social networks.
“This activity is part of broader defensive efforts to establish and reinforce an advanced defensive posture, which includes the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the elimination of terrorists operating in the area, in order to create an additional layer of security for the residents of northern Israel,” he said.
Thus, he stressed that before the start of the operation he launched artillery attacks and bombings against “numerous terrorist targets” to “eliminate threats.” “The IDF will continue to operate vigorously against the terrorist organization Hezbollah, which has decided to join the campaign and operate under the auspices of the Iranian terrorist regime, and will not allow harm to the citizens of the State of Israel,” he concluded.
The Lebanese authorities have raised the death toll to 850 due to the wave of bombings launched by Israel, which has also deployed soldiers in several areas in southern Lebanon in response to the firing of projectiles by Hezbollah in revenge for the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the offensive against the Asian country.
Israel had already launched dozens of bombings against Lebanon in recent months despite the ceasefire reached in November 2024, arguing that it is acting against Hezbollah activities and ensuring that, therefore, it does not violate the pact, although both the Lebanese authorities and the group have been critical of these actions, also condemned by the United Nations.
The ceasefire contemplated that both Israel and Hezbollah had to withdraw their troops from southern Lebanon. However, the Israeli Army has maintained five posts in the territory of its neighboring country, something also criticized by Beirut and the Shiite group, which demand an end to this deployment.
