Israel amplifies land-based operations within Lebanon
Israel amplifies its ground presence in Lebanon, as reported by their own communiques. Their mission is to push back the Hezbollah militia from the border, the army states. More residents are urged to vacate their dwellings. The number of displaced individuals has surpassed the million mark already.
The Israeli military has escalated its operations against the Hezbollah militia to the southern region of Lebanon. The 146th Division of the military has initiated "focused" attacks on "high-risk" targets and "essential facilities" belonging to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, as announced by the Israeli military via their Telegram channel. In accordance with this, the Israeli military's attacks now target Hezbollah's positions along the Mediterranean coast of Lebanon as well.
Also, civilians living in the coastal region have been asked to evacuate their homes. On October 9, 2023, the armed forces had revealed their plans to extend their operations to areas south of the Al-Awali river. Moreover, they declared the coastal area surrounding the town of Shlomi as a "restricted military zone" on the Israeli side.
Hezbollah had instigated a second front against Israel with air attacks just a day following Hamas's widespread assault on October 7, 2023. This led to mass evacuations on both sides of the border, with over 100,000 individuals being impacted from the Israeli side alone.
As per the Israeli military, the objective of their attacks on Hezbollah is to reinforce the northern border with Lebanon and allow displaced residents in northern Israel to reclaim their homes. In Lebanon, hundreds of thousands are forced to flee their homes. According to the government statistics, the displaced population in the country has swelled to more than 1.2 million. The UN Refugee Agency mentions that the hastily arranged emergency shelters in schools and other buildings are nearing capacity.
Israel has escalated its attacks on Hezbollah since late September, leading to the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other top commanders of the militia. Approximately a week ago, Israel announced the commencement of "confined and deliberate" ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The European Union expresses concern over the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, calling for an immediate ceasefire. The European Union also pledges humanitarian aid to the displaced individuals within Lebanon, totaling over 1.2 million.
