Israel begins ground offensive into south Lebanon

Israel has launched a ground offensive into southern Lebanon, with its forces firing flares into the night sky and heavy shelling preceding the incursion.

Soldiers and military vehicles had been assembling near the Israeli-Lebanese border for several hours, using flares to signal troops and illuminate their path. Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, confirmed that elements of Israel’s 98th Division, including commando, paratrooper, and armored brigades, have begun “targeted and specific activities” in southern Lebanon.

According to Adraee, these units had been preparing for the operation for weeks, sharing a video on social media showing Israeli troops operating at night ahead of the offensive.

Israel has a history of military incursions into Lebanon, most notably the 1982 invasion that reached Beirut in an effort to eliminate the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and suppress Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. The invasion also contributed to the formation of Hezbollah, with support from Iran’s newly established Islamic government.

During the 1982 conflict, Israel’s Lebanese Christian allies massacred hundreds of Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, and the PLO was forced to relocate its headquarters from Beirut to Tunisia. Israel subsequently established a security zone in southern Lebanon but encountered fierce resistance from Hezbollah. The growing Israeli casualties led Prime Minister Ehud Barak to order a unilateral withdrawal in 2000, which bolstered Hezbollah’s popularity and cemented its role as a powerful political and paramilitary force.

In 2006, Israel launched another invasion aimed at defeating Hezbollah, but after 34 days of intense fighting and heavy losses on both sides, Israel agreed to a ceasefire brokered by the United Nations. Despite the devastation, Hezbollah emerged from the conflict strengthened, having resisted Israel’s efforts once again.