BEIRUT: The Israeli army early on Tuesday launched what it described as a limited ground operation in southern Lebanon after ordering residents in more than 25 Lebanese border towns to evacuate and move north of the Awali River.
Families from the towns of Rmeich and Ain Ebel appealed to the Lebanese Army and Lebanese Red Cross for help moving to a secure location after they were left stranded by air raids on nearby access roads.
An Israeli military spokesman said the ground incursion will be limited, and is aimed at “dismantling and demolishing Hezbollah’s infrastructure.”
Israeli media reported that Israeli troops destroyed 30 tons of antitank mines and 450 RPG rockets after launching the operation on Tuesday.
The UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL said that the Israeli army informed them of its intention to conduct limited ground incursions into Lebanon.
However, UNIFIL said that “any crossing into Lebanon constitutes a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as a breach of Resolution 1701.”
It urged “all parties to refrain from such escalatory actions,” and said that “the cost of continuing along the current path of action is exceedingly high.”
The evacuation order in the border area revived memories for the Lebanese people of similar displacements when Israel occupied the region in the 1970s, a situation that lasted until 2000, followed by further displacement during the 2006 war.
The Israeli army announced in the early hours of Tuesday that “the 98th Division has commenced targeted and specific activities in the southern region of Lebanon.” It also released footage of the division’s preparations.
Commando and paratrooper units, as well as armored forces from the 7th Brigade, have been preparing for weeks to carry out the ground operation, the army said.
Israeli media said that army operations destroyed a large number of Hezbollah tunnels.
“What we feared has happened,” said Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN special coordinator for Lebanon. “With strikes across Lebanon, including in the heart of Beirut, and incursions across the Blue Line, violence is escalating to dangerous levels.”
Plasschaert warned: “Every rocket fired, every bomb dropped, every ground raid carried out, takes the parties further away from the goal of resolution 1701 and further away from creating the conditions necessary for the safe return of civilians on both sides of the Blue Line.
“The ongoing cycle of violence will not achieve what either party wants. There is still a glimmer of hope for the success of diplomatic efforts, but the question is: Will this opportunity be seized or will it be squandered?“
Hezbollah continued its military operations against Israeli forces along the southern border.
The Israeli incursion was preceded by Israeli airstrikes in southern regions, extending through the southern suburbs of Beirut, and reaching the farthest areas of the Bekaa Valley.
Numerous residential buildings were completely flattened or partially destroyed.
Hezbollah responded to the Israeli attacks by announcing “rocket barrages of the ‘Fadi 4’ type targeting the Glilot base associated with Military Intelligence Unit 8200 and the Mossad headquarters located in the suburbs of Tel Aviv.”
Hezbollah targeted Israeli soldiers near the Rosh Pina settelement, as well as Israeli forces in the Dovev outpost.
Sirens sounded in Yiftah, Malkia, Ramot Naftali, Dishon in the Galilee and Metula in the Galilee Panhandle.
Israeli media outlets said that two people were injured in a missile strike in northeast Tel Aviv.
An Israeli strike on a house in the southern village of Daoudiyeh is believed to have killed 10 members of the Diab family.
Israeli fighter jets carried out eight raids on Laylaki, Mreijeh, Haret Hreik and Burj Al-Barajneh in Beirut’s southern suburbs, following warnings to residents to evacuate the areas.
An Israeli raid also struck the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain Al-Helweh – the biggest refugee camp in Lebanon – targeting Mounir Al-Makdah, leader of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Fatah Movement.
However, Al-Makdah escaped the assassination attempt, while his son, wife, and four other people were killed.
Last August, Israel targeted Khalil Al-Makdah, the leader’s brother, outside the camp with a drone.
A raid targeting Bekaa hit an aid station in Mashghara, killing eight people.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese government and NGOs are struggling to cope with the influx of displaced people into Beirut, Chouf, Tripoli, Akkar, and other areas of northern Lebanon.
Rain has also made it difficult for those sleeping in the street.
A number of displaced people attempted to storm and take shelter in several private properties in Beirut, including Le Bristol Hotel in Ras Beirut, another hotel in Ain Al-Mraiseh, and a building owned by a Kuwaiti national in the same area.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati met UN organizations and ambassadors of donor countries.
He also launched “a flash appeal to mobilize additional support to strengthen the continued efforts of the government in providing essential assistance to displaced civilians.”
Parliament speaker Nabih Berri called on the UN to establish an air bridge to deliver relief supplies and break the air blockade imposed by Israel on Lebanon.
