Israel is attacking the Lebanese border

The Israeli army announced a closed military zone in the north of Israel on Monday evening, writes The Times of Israel (ToI).

“In accordance with the evaluation of the situation, it was decided to order a closed military area in the area of ​​Metula, Misgav Am and Kfar Giladi,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on the X network, stating that entry to this area is strictly prohibited.

The ToI source said that one of the goals of the ground operation of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will be to eliminate the positions of the terrorist movement Hezbollah along the Israeli border. According to the source, the Israeli war cabinet is meeting on Monday evening to discuss the approval of the ground operation at the military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

The Israeli daily Ha’arec reported that Israeli tanks and artillery are firing at positions in southern Lebanon. According to ToI, artillery is firing, for example, at the village of Wazzani. He also stated that Israeli tanks are already operating on the territory of Lebanon, which he later deleted. Later, The Jerusalem Post reported that ground troops are already operating in Lebanon. Subsequently, this letter also deleted the message.

The Reuters agency, citing a source from the US administration, said earlier on Monday that the deployment of Israeli troops near the border with Lebanon indicated that an incursion into Lebanese territory could be imminent. Later, the agency reported that the Lebanese army, which does not represent Hezbollah units, began withdrawing from several positions on the southern border with Israel. According to a security source, it retreated to a distance of approximately five kilometers.

The US Department of State said on Monday that it had received information from Israel about “limited ground attacks” in Lebanon. President Joe Biden said that he is “maybe more aware than you think” of the limited incursion.

Earlier on Monday, the United States announced that it is moving several thousand additional soldiers to the Middle East, who will be ready to defend Israel if necessary. In addition, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said that squadrons of F-15E Strike Eagle, F-16, A-10 and F-22 fighter jets and personnel providing their support are heading to the site. The AP agency reported that there are about 43,000 American soldiers in the region.

According to CNN, the early ground operation is also indicated by Sunday’s satellite images, which show approximately one hundred Israeli military vehicles, from tanks to armored vehicles, about eight kilometers from the Lebanese border. In addition, the vehicles are still arriving.

The Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah has been regularly attacking Israel since October 7, when the terrorist movement Hamas attacked Israel and murdered 1,200 people, mostly civilians.