In retaliation for the “ground offensive” in Lebanon, Hezbollah launches an artillery attack on Israeli troops

Israel-Hezbollah conflict: Lebanon’s armed group Hezbollah said it fired artillery fire at Israeli military personnel stationed in the northern city of Metula. Reuters has reported. This attack came after the Israeli military announced on Monday that it had carried out targeted attacks on Hezbollah’s weapons production facilities and related infrastructure in the Dahiyeh area of ​​Beirut.

On Tuesday, Israel said its troops had launched raids in Lebanon, beginning widely expected ground operations after two weeks of devastating air strikes against Hezbollah’s command structure and weapons sites.

In a post, the IDF wrote: “The IDF began limited, localized and targeted ground strikes based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon.” These targets are located in villages near the border and pose an imminent threat to Israeli ones communities in northern Israel. “The IDF operates according to a methodical plan established by the General Staff and the Northern Command, for which IDF soldiers have been trained and prepared over the past few months.”

On Sunday, the Israeli military said it had killed another senior Hezbollah official, bringing the total number of senior commanders killed to seven, after it launched one of the largest airstrikes ever against the Lebanese militant group. The attack also killed civilians, including women and children. Among those killed are the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, Nabil Kaouk, Ahmad Wehbe, Mohammad Surour, Ibrahim Kobeissi and Ibrahim Akil.

The intense airstrikes have eliminated several Hezbollah commanders, but also killed about 1,000 civilians and forced a million to flee, according to the Lebanese government.

Previously, the White House and the US State Department had not responded to inquiries about Israel’s military actions in Lebanon, but President Joe Biden expressed concerns on Monday and called for a ceasefire. “I’m more worried than you might think and I support the cessation of operations,” he told reporters when asked about possible Israeli ground attacks. “We must bring about a ceasefire immediately.”

(With inputs from Reuters)