Jerusalem [Israel], October 1 : The Israeli military on Tuesday, issued a warning to 20 towns in southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately, as it aims to start limited ground operations against the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, as reported by the Times of Israel.
A statement was issued for the civilian population of Lebanon by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Avichay Adraee on the social media platform X, stating that the "IDF does not want to harm you, and for your own safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately."
"Anyone who is near Hezbollah members, installations and combat equipment is putting their life in danger," it added.
Israel launched limited ground raids into southern Lebanon late on Monday night against Hezbollah forces and infrastructure positioned along Israel's northern border, hours after the security cabinet approved plans for the newest phase of the war against the Lebanese terror group, in a move that the US appeared to warily support, the Times of Israel reported.
Announcing the incursion in the early hours of Tuesday morning, the IDF said that "limited, localized, and targeted ground raids" had begun several hours earlier. It said they were focused on "Hezbollah targets and infrastructure" in a number of Lebanese villages along the border that posed an immediate threat to Israeli towns on the other side of the border.
Ground troops operating inside southern Lebanon were being assisted by air and artillery forces, the military said, adding that the operation was based on plans drawn up by the IDF's General Staff and Northern Command.
On Tuesday morning, the IDF released footage showing the 98th Division, an elite formation of paratrooper and commando units, leading the overnight ground operation. It said the division's Paratroopers and Commando brigades were joined by the 7th Armored Brigade.
Reacting to the situation, the US voiced concerns that even a limited incursion could spread further and spiral.
However, during the call between US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, Washington expressed its support for the raids.
"We agreed on the necessity of dismantling attack infrastructure along the border to ensure that Lebanese Hezbollah cannot conduct October 7-style attacks on Israel's northern communities," Austin said according to the Pentagon's readout of the call.
During the call, the pair discussed Israel's latest military operations, and Austin "made it clear that the United States supports Israel's right to defend itself."
While he seemed to voice support for the IDF operation, Austin nevertheless stressed that the incursion was not an end in itself. "I reaffirmed that a diplomatic resolution is required to ensure that civilians can return safely to their homes on both sides of the border," he said.
The start of the IDF's ground offensive came some two weeks into intensified fighting with Hezbollah, and after Operation Northern Arrows was launched earlier in September to meet the recently declared war goal of bringing residents of the north back to their homes following their evacuation last October under heavy rocket fire from the Lebanese terror group, Times of Israel reported.