(1 Oct 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Beirut – 1 October 2024
1. Smoke rising above southern suburbs of Beirut
2. Smoke rises from another area of southern Beirut, zoom in to smoke, pull out
STORYLINE:
Smoke rose above the southern suburbs of Beirut on Tuesday morning as Israeli ground forces crossed into southern Lebanon, marking a significant escalation of an offensive against Hezbollah militants and opening a new front in a yearlong war against its Iranian-backed adversaries.
Hezbollah has a strong presence in Beirut’s southern suburbs, and smoke rose above the skyline shortly after Israel ordered residents of three buildings to evacuate.
The incursion in southern Lebanon follows weeks of heavy blows by Israel against Hezbollah — including an airstrike that killed its long-time leader, Hassan Nasrallah — and seeks to step up the pressure on the group, which began firing rockets into northern Israel after the start of the war in Gaza. The last time Israel and Hezbollah engaged in ground combat was a monthlong war in 2006.
The Israeli military said in a brief statement that it began “limited, localized and targeted ground raids” against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
“These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel,” it said.
There was no word on how long the operation would last, but the army said soldiers had been training and preparing for the mission in recent months. Israel has said it will continue to strike the group until it is safe for displaced Israelis from border communities to return to their homes.
Ahead of the Israeli announcement, United States officials said Israel launched small ground raids inside Lebanon, and Israel declared three small border communities to be a “closed military zone,” restricting access only to army personnel.
There were no reports of direct clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants. But throughout the evening, Israeli artillery units pounded targets in southern Lebanon and the sounds of airstrikes were heard throughout Beirut.
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