The Israeli army launched a "limited ground operation" against the positions of the Hezbollah group in Lebanon

(Jerusalem News) The Israeli military said it has begun a "limited ground operation" against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military issued a statement on Monday (March 16th) saying that Israeli forces have recently begun conducting limited and targeted ground operations against key Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.

The statement said that this is part of a broader defensive operation aimed at establishing and strengthening the front-line defense posture, including dismantling relevant infrastructure and eliminating Hezbollah personnel operating in the southern Lebanon region, in order to provide additional security for the residents in northern Israel.

Before launching the ground operation, Israel had already carried out air strikes on several bridges and roads in southern Lebanon.

This statement is similar to the ones issued in 2024 when Israel and Hezbollah had a major conflict in Lebanon, and in 2023 when the Israeli army carried out a ground offensive against the Hamas attack on October 7 in Gaza.

The spokesperson of the Israeli military, Shoshani, said that the ground operation "was limited to the locations where we believed Hezbollah posed a threat to the Israelis."

He pointed out that Hezbollah has recently intensified its activities in southern Lebanon. Last week, it began firing hundreds of rockets into Israel every day, and also dispatched hundreds of Radwan troops to the southern Lebanese area; Radwan is a highly skilled unit of Hezbollah.

The Hezbollah has repeatedly announced that it will launch attacks on the Israeli army's assembly points along the Lebanese border, as well as on various border towns. This includes direct firefights in Khiam. This town is located opposite Metula in Israel and was the first place where the Israeli army advanced after the war began.

The Israeli military stated that it is necessary to maintain a presence in Lebanon in order to prevent Hezbollah from resuming the attacks on northern Israeli towns that it launched during the Gaza War.

On March 2nd, Hezbollah launched an attack on Israel after the assassination of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. Subsequently, Israel retaliated.

Since the outbreak of the war, the Israeli army has issued evacuation warnings to a large area in southern Lebanon, extending over 40 kilometers beyond the border.

The Lebanese authorities said on Sunday (15th) that the Israeli attack had resulted in 850 deaths and over 830,000 people were displaced. The Hezbollah attack, on the other hand, claimed the lives of two Israeli soldiers.

Lebanese President Ouen said that he is willing to have direct talks with Israel in order to seek an end to the war. However, Israel stated that there are currently no such plans.