Lebanon. Media: Israel is intensively shelling the border areas

Israeli artillery is intensively shelling the Lebanese town of Wazani, located right next to the border, the Times of Israel website reported on Monday evening.

At least for now, there are no Israeli armored forces on the border with Lebanon, Lebanese security sources reported late on Monday evening, quoted by the German dpa agency.

Hezbollah announced after midnight on Tuesday that it had detected the movements of Israeli troops moving along Lebanese border towns. The Israeli Defense Forces have not confirmed this information.

Many explosions were heard in Beirut, CNN reported on the night from Monday to Tuesday. “Thick plumes of smoke were visible in the sky over the southern suburbs of Beirut,” it added.

Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Cadm. In the evening, Daniel Hagari appealed not to disseminate information about troop movements. – In recent hours, there have been many reports and rumors about army activity on the border with Lebanon. Use only official information and do not spread irresponsible rumors, the spokesman urged, noting that the purpose of this restriction is the safety of soldiers.

On Monday, source-based information appeared in the American and Israeli media that Israel recently conducted limited reconnaissance missions of special forces in southern Lebanon. According to some reports, such incidents also took place on Monday.

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Later, there were reports that Israel had pre-empted it USA and other allies about the planned ground operation in southern Lebanon, noting that it would be “limited.” He wrote about it, among others: the Washington Post and the BBC website. An anonymous U.S. official told Reuters that Israel's troop deployment suggests a land invasion of Lebanon is imminent.

The Israeli Defense Forces announced Monday evening that three areas just off the border had been declared a closed military zone and warned that entry to the area was prohibited.

The Lebanese army withdrew at least 5 km from the Israeli border, Reuters reported. The AFP agency wrote that Lebanese units were regrouping.

The tense situation on the border between Israel and Lebanon was also confirmed by UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who announced that over 10,000 soldiers of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stationed in the south of the country can no longer patrol the country due to the intensity of the fighting.

The Israeli security cabinet met on Monday evening. Earlier in the day, Defense Minister Joaw Galant announced that “a new chapter of the war against Hezbollah will begin soon.”

If a ground operation against Hezbollah were to take place, Israeli troops would enter Lebanon for the first time since the war with Hezbollah lasting just over a month in the summer of 2006. Israel occupied southern Lebanon from 1982-2000.

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For a week, Lebanon has been intensively bombed by Israeli air forces. Israel emphasizes that the strikes are aimed at Hezbollah, not the Libyan civilian population, and their aim is to secure the north of the country, from which approximately 60,000 people were evacuated. people due to Hezbollah's regular shelling since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip.

According to government estimates, over a thousand people were killed in the attacks in Beirut in two weeks, and over a million Lebanese were forced to leave their homes because of them.

Israel announced that it had eliminated much of Hezbollah's combat potential and killed almost all of the group's senior commanders, including its leader Hasan Nasrallah. However, the military and politicians emphasize the need to continue the operation. Hezbollah's deputy chief announced on Monday that the group would continue to fight Israel and was prepared for a land invasion.

Powered by Iran The Shiite Hezbollah controls large areas of Lebanon and is a military force more powerful than that country's army. Its armed wing is considered a terrorist organization by the West.

Hezbollah has been fighting Israel with varying intensity for decades. It is also the strongest link in the network of armed groups operating in the Middle East, coordinated by Tehran and targeting Israel and the US.