Photo: Reuters
The Israeli military said on Tuesday that its troops had started to cross into southern Lebanon, adding that they would destroy Hezbollah military infrastructure in villages close to the Israel-Lebanon border.
In a statement issued shortly before 2 a.m., the military described the operation as a “limited” operation and said that its troops had begun entering Lebanon “a few hours ago” to target sites that “pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel.”
The invasion followed intense Israeli strikes across Lebanon over the past two weeks that have killed hundreds of people. Israel is attempting to force a conclusion to a yearlong war that began last October when Hezbollah started firing toward Israeli positions in solidarity with its ally Hamas.
Three Israeli officials said the invasion plan involved operating in a narrow strip of land that lines the northern side of the border. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
The invasion force consisted of small groups of commandos, accompanied by air cover as well as artillery shells fired from Israel, the officials said. The plan could yet evolve into a larger invasion; thousands of additional troops have been deployed in northern Israel in recent days, leading to speculation about a broader and more prolonged operation.
The invasion plan was approved in a late-night cabinet meeting shortly after the Israeli military declared a closed military zone in three villages at the northern tip of Israel that have been badly damaged through nearly a year of shelling and rocket fire from Lebanon.
According to the report by the New York Times, at least two dozen military Humvees were heading toward the same area carrying troops in full combat gear, including night vision goggles. Dozens of logistical trucks, some armoured, were also heading north. Intense explosions could be heard near the border late Monday, according to two of the few residents who had not evacuated the area.
The invasion plan followed days of smaller and briefer cross-border reconnaissance missions in which Israeli commandos prepared for the larger incursion.
Israel’s official war aim is to make northern Israel safe enough for tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to return home after nearly a year of rocket fire from Lebanon. Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians have also been displaced by Israeli fire and more than a thousand people, both civilians and combatants, have been killed by Israeli airstrikes.
報道稱，以色列開始在黎巴嫩南部進行地面行動
以色列軍方週二表示，其部隊已開始進入黎巴嫩南部，並補充說，他們將摧毀以色列和黎巴嫩邊境附近村莊的真主黨軍事基礎設施。
在凌晨2 點前不久發表的一份聲明中，軍方將這次行動描述為一次「有限」行動，並表示其部隊「幾小時前」開始進入黎巴嫩，以瞄準「對以色列社區構成直接威脅的地點”。以色列北部。”
這次入侵是在過去兩週以色列對黎巴嫩各地的猛烈襲擊造成數百人死亡之後發生的。 以色列試圖強行結束去年十月開始的長達一年的戰爭，真主黨開始向以色列陣地開火，以聲援其盟友哈馬斯。
三名以色列官員表示，入侵計畫涉及在邊境北側的狹長地帶進行行動。 這些官員要求匿名，以討論敏感的軍事問題。
官員說，入侵部隊由小股突擊隊組成，並有空中掩護以及以色列發射的砲彈。 該計劃還可能演變為更大規模的入侵； 最近幾天，以色列北部增派了數千名士兵，引發了人們對行動範圍更廣、更長時間的猜測。
以色列軍方宣佈在以色列北端的三個村莊設立軍事禁區後不久，入侵計畫在深夜內閣會議上獲得批准，這些村莊在黎巴嫩近一年的砲擊和火箭襲擊中遭到嚴重破壞。
根據《紐約時報》報道，至少有兩打軍用悍馬車載著全副武裝的部隊駛向同一地區，其中包括夜視鏡。 數十輛後勤卡車（其中一些是裝甲車）也在向北行駛。 據少數尚未撤離該地區的居民中的兩名稱，週一晚間，邊境附近可以聽到強烈的爆炸聲。
在這次入侵計畫之前，以色列突擊隊進行了幾天規模較小、時間較短的跨境偵察任務，為更大規模的入侵做準備。
以色列官方的戰爭目標是讓以色列北部足夠安全，讓數萬名流離失所的以色列人在黎巴嫩近一年的火箭襲擊後返回家園。 數十萬黎巴嫩平民也因以色列的砲火而流離失所，以色列空襲造成一千多人死亡，包括平民和戰鬥人員。
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