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THE ISRAELI MILITARY today said that troops have started “ground raids” in villages in southern Lebanon, after militant group Hezbollah said it had targeted “enemy soldiers” at the countries’ border.
A Lebanese security official said Israel had also conducted at least six strikes on south Beirut, while Syrian state media reported deadly strikes around the capital Damascus.
Despite international calls for de-escalation, Israel has vowed to keep fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah and declared a military zone in parts of its border with Lebanon.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant had previously warned the battle was not over, even after a massive strike on Beirut that killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Friday, dealing the group a seismic blow.
Israel’s military said troops, backed by airstrikes and artillery, launched ground raids overnight targeting Hezbollah “in villages close to the border”.
The targets “pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel”, the military said.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin yesterday gave the White House’s backing to Israel “dismantling attack infrastructure along the border”.
Hezbollah has said it is “ready if Israel decides to enter by land”.
However, world leaders have urged de-escalation, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric saying: “We do not want any sort of ground invasion.”
As Israel announced its ground raids in Lebanon, Syria’s official news agency SANA said the country’s air defence systems had intercepted three rounds of strikes in the Damascus area.
State television said its journalist Safaa Ahmad was killed “in the Israeli aggression” on Damascus, while SANA reported three civilians killed and nine others wounded.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has carried out hundreds of strikes on Syria in recent years.
Hezbollah earlier said it “targeted” Israeli troops in the border village of Shtula, with a source close to the group saying the soldiers were “right on the border”.
There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah following the Israeli army’s announcement of the ground raids, but the group’s al-Manar television reported the Israeli statement on its Telegram channel.
US media meanwhile cited two Israeli officials saying the military incursion is “targeted and limited in time and scope and is not intended to occupy southern Lebanon”.
Lebanon’s national army, dwarfed by Hezbollah’s military power, was “repositioning” troops farther from the border, a military official said.
Israel’s strikes on Lebanon have killed hundreds of people over the past week and forced up to a million to flee their homes, according to Lebanese officials.
Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiad said more than 1,000 people have been killed since 17 September.
Hezbollah and other groups launched rockets, drones and missiles at Israel over the same period, causing some injuries but no deaths.
Iran has said the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah would bring about Israel’s “destruction”, though the foreign ministry said yesterday that Tehran would not deploy any fighters to confront Israel.
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin warned yesterday of “serious consequences for Iran” if Tehran directly attacks Israel.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati meanwhile called for a ceasefire based on a recent US-French proposal, urging “an end to the Israeli aggression against Lebanon”.
The Israeli military said several projectiles were fired from across the border into the country’s northern areas after Israel began targeted ground raids against Hezbollah.
The projectiles were fired after sirens sounded in the Metula and Avivim areas, the military said, adding that some of the projectiles were intercepted while others fell in open areas.
Hezbollah targeted “a movement of enemy soldiers in Metula with artillery shells”, it said in a statement.
In another, Hezbollah said it had targeted a “gathering of enemy soldiers” in the same area with rockets.
Yesterday evening, the Israeli military ordered people in three districts of southern Beirut to evacuate.
In a post on social media, the IDF’s Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee says: “You are located near interests and facilities belonging to the terrorist Hezbollah, and therefore the IDF will act against them forcefully.
Alongside a series of maps pointing to specified buildings, he adds: “For your safety and the safety of your family, you must evacuate the buildings immediately, starting at a distance of no less than 500 meters.”
The Israeli army has said “intense fighting” is ongoing in southern Lebanon and has warned people against driving in the southern zone.
“Intense fighting is taking place in southern Lebanon,” wrote Avichay Adraee, a spokesman for the Israeli army, in a message published in Arabic on Telegram.
“For your personal safety, we ask you not to travel by vehicles from the north to the south of the Litani River” in south Lebanon.
The IDF’s Arabic spokesperson said in the past hour that heavy fighting is taking place in southern Lebanon.
He also claimed Hezbollah is “using the civilian environment and the population as human shields to launch attacks”.
“For your personal safety, we ask you not to move vehicles from the northern region to the southern region of the Litani River,” Avichay Adraee said.
He added that “this warning is in effect until further notice”.
Lebanon’s prime minister said today his country was facing “one of the most dangerous phases of its history”, urging the United Nations to provide aid for one million people displaced by Israeli air strikes.
“Around a million of our people have been displaced because of the devastating war that Israel is waging on Lebanon,” the National News Agency reported Najib Mikati as saying.
“We urgently call for more aid to reinforce our ongoing efforts to provide basic support to displaced civilians,” he added in a meeting with UN representatives.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said Irish troops serving in Lebanon are safe.
Irish soldiers are among the personnel serving in the country with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Martin said Israel’s ground offensive is in a “different area as to where our troops are located”.
“Obviously, the escalation heightens concerns,” said Martin, “but they are safe, they’re professional soldiers, UNIFIL is doing everything in can at command level to make sure that the peacekeepers are protected in the context of the escalation that is occurring.”
Martin added that up to 150 Irish citizens are currently in Lebanon.
The United Nations has said it is seeking $400 million for the displaced Lebanese, as Lebanon’s prime minister Najib Mikati issued an urgent call for aid.
“Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza today launched a $426 million flash appeal to mobilise urgent resources for civilians affected by the escalating conflict and resulting humanitarian crisis in Lebanon,” the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said.
Meanwhile, Swiss Air has extended its suspension of flights to Beirut and Tel Aviv.
Following the example of its parent company, German airline group Lufthansa, Swiss Air said it would suspend flights to and from Beirut until 30 November and to and from Tel Aviv to 31 October.
Swiss Air said the measure “is intended to provide more predictability for both our passengers and our crews”.
Air raid sirens were activated in central Israel, with the military saying projectiles had been fired from Lebanon.
“Sirens sounded in central Israel following projectile launches that crossed from Lebanon,” the military said in a statement.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has warned any crossing into Lebanon violates its sovereignty.
Irish troops are among the soldiers serving with UNIFIL, and in a statement today, the UN peacekeeping agency said it was yesterday notified by the IDF of “their intention to undertake limited ground incursions into Lebanon”.
“Despite this dangerous development, peacekeepers remain in position,” said UNIFIL.
“We have contingency plans ready to activate if absolutely necessary. Peacekeeper safety and security is paramount, and all actors are reminded of their obligation to respect it.”
UNIFIL added that “any crossing into Lebanon is in violation of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“We urge all actors to step back from such escalatory acts, which will only lead to more violence and more bloodshed,” added UNIFIL.
“The price of continuing the current course of action is too high. Civilians must be protected, civilian infrastructure must not be targeted and International law must be respected.”
Hezbollah has said it had targeted the Israeli military intelligence base of Glilot near Tel Aviv.
The Iran-backed group “launched salvoes of Fadi 4 rockets at the Glilot base of the military intelligence’s unit 8200 and the Mossad headquarters located on the outskirts of Tel Aviv,” it said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Turkey has condemned Israel’s ground offensive in Lebanon as an “unlawful invasion attempt” and called for the withdrawal of its troops.
“This attack must end as soon as possible and Israeli soldiers must withdraw from Lebanese territory,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The United Nations has voiced alarm about Israel’s ground offensive into Lebanon as it targets Hezbollah militants and has warned against a “large-scale ground invasion”.
“With armed violence between Israel and Hezbollah boiling over, the consequences for civilians have already been terrible – and we fear a large-scale ground invasion by Israel into Lebanon would only result in greater suffering,” Liz Throssell, spokeswoman for the UN rights office, told reporters in Geneva.
The Israeli military has called on residents in more than 20 areas in southern Lebanon to evacuate, hours after launching ground operations across the border.
“The IDF does not want to harm you, and for your own safety you must evacuate your homes immediately. Anyone who is near Hezbollah members, installations and combat equipment is putting his life in danger,” army spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X.
Lebanese residents have also been warned that going south “could put your life in danger”.
The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon said there was “no ground incursion” going on in the south of the country after Israel said it was carrying out limited raids there.
UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti said there was “no ground incursion right now”, after Israel’s military said it began “limited, localised and targeted raids” against militant group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Photos depicting some of the damage caused by an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburb.
Hezbollah has claimed that no Israeli troops have crossed over into Lebanon.
In a statement to Al-Jazeera, a spokesman for the group said: “All the Zionist claims that (Israeli) occupation forces have entered Lebanon are false claims.”
They added that there have “not yet been any direct ground clash between (Hezbollah) resistance fighters and (Israeli) occupation forces”.
The Defence Forces has said that while the situation in Lebanon is tense, all Irish personnel “remain accounted for and safe”.
“They remain vigilant and are maintaining force protection measures. Defence Forces headquarters remain in regular contact with our personnel on the ground,” they said in a statement.
The Defence Forces can confirm that while the situation is tense all Irish personnel remain accounted for and safe. They remain vigilant and are maintaining force protection measures. Defence Forces headquarters remain in regular contact with our personnel on the ground.… pic.twitter.com/LfamMWJTmK
— Óglaigh na hÉireann (@defenceforces) October 1, 2024
Speaking on the increased kinetic environment in South Lebanon, Defence Forces Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy said: “Following the events in Southern Lebanon last night and this morning, I want to reassure the families of our personnel deployed in the region that the safety of our troops is our utmost priority, and we appreciate the support from their families during this time.
We are in constant contact with them and are actively monitoring the situation on the ground. While the current circumstances are challenging, our personnel remain committed to their peacekeeping mission and are well-trained to handle such volatility.
Clancy also said that there is support available for families of personnel serving in Lebanon through the Defence Forces’ Personnel Support Service, which can be contacted at pss@defenceforces.ie.
Unit Liaison Officers can also be contacted through local barracks.
Israel’s Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant has said he spoke with the US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last night.
In a post on X, he said the pair agreed on “the importance of dismantling attack infrastructure along the northern border to prevent attacks by Hezbollah against Israeli citizens”.
Gallant said he briefed Austin on “the localized and targeted raids that the IDF launched overnight against Hezbollah targets”.
“These operations build on the ongoing measures taken to eliminate Hezbollah leadership and to degrade Hezbollah’s offensive capabilities,” he added.
Spoke overnight with U.S. @SecDef about developments in the northern arena and the measures required to ensure the safe return of Israel's northern communities to their homes. We agreed on the importance of dismantling attack infrastructure along the northern border to prevent…
— יואב גלנט - Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) October 1, 2024
Meanwhile, the UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy has called for ceasefires in both Lebanon and Gaza and urged Israel and Iran to avoid the risk of a regional war in the Middle East.
“We will continue to speak to the Israelis and indeed to other actors in the Middle East,” he told reporters.
“We have been warning for months that we risk a regional war with escalation on all sides and that is why we want to see an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon.
“It is politics, discussion and diplomacy that will solve the problems before us and we urge, with partners, restraint at this time.”
Lammy also urged Britons to leave Lebanon while they still can. “I have warned and cautioned now for months that we have seen in previous crises between Israel and Lebanon the airport close,” he said.
If that happens “we cannot guarantee that we will be able to get people out in speedy fashion”.
The situation in Lebanon is volatile and getting worse.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) October 1, 2024
The UK government is providing an option for British nationals to leave now.
My message is clear – take it.https://t.co/ZkVAlcYMzq pic.twitter.com/EdwIx6A7He
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