Israel announced the invasion of southern Lebanon, launching what it calls a “limited, localized and targeted” ground operation aimed at pushing Hezbollah forces farther away from the border.
It follows weeks of escalating conflict with the Iran-backed militant group, which is reeling from the killing of its powerful leader Hassan Nasrallah. Both the U.S. and Israel warned Iran, which has vowed to respond to the expanding Israeli attacks on its proxies across the Middle East.
Intense Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced as many as 1 million in recent weeks, Lebanese officials say. The country “is facing one of the most dangerous stages in its history,” its prime minister said this morning.
President Joe Biden called for a cease-fire “right now” but U.S. officials appeared to offer their support to a limited Israeli operation just days after Washington outlined a truce proposal.
