Israel’s military forces crossed the border into southern Lebanon on Monday to conduct what its military described as “limited, localized, and targeted ground raids” against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. The offensive is aimed at pushing Hezbollah forces further away from the Israeli border and is expected to last for days, not weeks, according to U.S. officials.
Israel informed the U.S. that the intent of the incursion into southern Lebanon is to push Hezbollah forces further from the Israeli border and target their infrastructure, including stockpiles and weapons, according to a U.S. official, a Biden administration official and a source familiar with the planning.
The offensive will be limited in duration and scope, possibly lasting for days, not weeks, the sources said, adding that the geographical reach will be limited.
“A few hours ago, the IDF began limited, localized, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon,” Israeli officials said in a statement. “These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel.”
Hezbollah, a Lebanese militia and political party backed by Iran, began firing at Israel on Oct. 8 in support of Hamas, which is also an Iranian proxy and has been at war with Israel since its Oct. 7 terror attack. The group has been exchanging fire with Israel ever since, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the Lebanese-Israel border.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated earlier this month that the country was entering a new phase of war, one focused on ensuring the return of displaced residents back to the north.
Tensions escalated the next day when pager devices used by Hezbollah members exploded without warning across Lebanon, blowing up in homes, grocery stores and elsewhere.
Israel did not take responsibility for the attack, but two U.S. officials told NBC News at the time that the country was behind the blasts.
A similar attack occurred the following day with walkie-talkies. Lebanese health officials reported that the two waves of explosions killed 37 people and injured roughly 3,000 others.
The device explosions set off days of heavy fire between Hezbollah and Israel, with Hezbollah’s former leader Hassan Nasrallah describing Israel’s attack as an act of war.
Violence surged again last week when Israel unleashed heavy bombings across southern Lebanon, forcing tens of thousands of Lebanese residents to flee their homes. Lebanon’s public health ministry reported that nearly 500 people were killed that day.
President Joe Biden urged de-escalation as international diplomats hope to avoid a full-blown regional war in the Middle East. His administration been communicating with Israel and indirectly with Hezbollah throughout the week.
The U.S., European Union and almost a dozen other countries issued a joint statement Wednesday supporting a 21-day cease-fire, calling the situation “intolerable” and that it “presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation.”
“This is in nobody’s interest, neither of the people of Israel nor of the people of Lebanon,” it said, adding, “It is time to conclude a diplomatic settlement that enables civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes in safety.”
On Friday, Israel struck several buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs that its military said was targeting Hezbollah’s senior leadership. Nasrallah was killed in the attack along with several other members of the organization’s leadership.
A difficult history
Prior to last year, Israel and Lebanon had nearly 20 years of calm between the two countries after decades of conflict.
In Operation Litani, Israel’s military stormed into Lebanon in pursuit of Palestinian Liberation Organization militants who killed 35 people and injured 71 others by attacking a civilian bus near Tel Aviv. Israeli soldiers spent roughly a week southern Lebanon pushing the PLO north of Lebanon’s Litani River.
Israel then invaded southern Lebanon in 1982, once again chasing after Palestinian Liberation Organization fighters that had made the country a base. That war is what gave rise to Hezbollah.
Hezbollah is a U.S.-designated terror group and has been since 1997, according to the State Department. The group is funded by Iran and pledges allegiance to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The Shia militia formed with the goal of resisting Israeli forces in the early 1980s and Israel did withdraw from southern Lebanon in 2000, with a popular Hezbollah in its wake.
A monthlong war fought between the two parties in August 2006, with both air and ground assaults being utilized. The 34-days of violence killed nearly 1,200 people in Lebanon and 43 in Israel.
For 17 years after that, Israel and Hezbollah have kept hostilities at a minimum across the blue line — the border drawn following Israel’s 2000 withdrawal — in accordance with the United Nations 1701 Security Council resolution.
Hezbollah continues to bill itself as a group fighting for Lebanon’s right to self-determination. Within Lebanon, Hezbollah is also a political party with seats in the country’s parliament and provides social services to civilians.
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