--- title: "Israeli Ground Operation In Lebanon Has Begun" description: "After months of increased fighting with Hezbollah, including recently crippling its communications and decapitating its leadership, Israel pushes into Lebanon. After months of fighting with Hezbollah, there are reports that Israel has launched a ground offensive in Lebanon." date: "2024-09-30" modified: "2024-09-30" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick" url: "https://www.twz.com/news-features/israeli-ground-offensive-in-lebanon-has-begun-reports" categories: - "Air" - "Around The Globe" - "Israel" - "Middle East" - "News & Features" tags: - "hezbollah" - "israel" - "Lebanon" --- # Israeli Ground Operation In Lebanon Has Begun ![Israeli soldiers work on the maintenance of tanks deployed in the Upper Galilee region of northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on September 29, 2024. Israel said on September 29 that it was carrying out new air raids against "dozens" of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, after killing the Iran-backed group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Israel has also raised the prospect of a ground operation against Hezbollah, prompting widespread international concern.]() *Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images* Detailed information is currently scarce, but there are now numerous reports that Israel has launched a new ground operation in Lebanon. The scale of this remains to be seen, with accounts earlier today of several small-scale raids across the border into Lebanon. For some months now, a larger Israeli operation in Lebanon had been expected, with Israeli officials apparently [recently telling their U.S. counterparts]() that a “limited” ground operation was about to begin. https://twitter.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/1840837006143676746 https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1840835786112995415 https://twitter.com/N12News/status/1840847105029763182 https://twitter.com/haynesdeborah/status/1840856984045961646 Multiple U.S. media reports state that Israel has told the United States that its ground operation in Lebanon [could start]() “imminently.” Meanwhile, at least one U.S. official has said that Israel appeared to be planning a major ground invasion, but that the plan [now appears]() to have been “significantly scaled down.” There were also reports earlier today [suggesting]() that Israel may not yet have made a final decision on a broader operation. Meanwhile, there are eyewitness accounts, videos, and photos posted to social media that show the rapidly ballooning deployment of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) units — including tanks and armored fighting vehicles — close to the border with Lebanon. https://twitter.com/trbrtc/status/1840842348864958701 The IDF has declared the areas around the communities of Metula, Misgav Am, and Kfar Giladi in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, as a “closed military zone.” Entry to areas around those areas is now prohibited, the IDF has said. Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant [said today]() that the “next phase of the war against Hezbollah will begin soon,” while in separate comments he told troops in the north of the country that “we will use all of our capabilities — including you.” https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1840578646337098045 The Lebanese Army appears to have made the conclusion that an Israeli ground offensive is more likely than not. There are now plenty of reports indicating that Lebanese troops are withdrawing from the border area close to Israel. Citing local residents and security sources, *Reuters* [reports]() that the Lebanese military is pulling back from “several positions on the southern border with Israel,” although a Lebanese Army spokesperson would neither confirm nor deny such reports. A Lebanese security source told *Reuters* that Lebanese troops have pulled back to at least three miles north of the border, while another source talked of the troops having been pulled back to larger army bases in the area. https://twitter.com/GebeilyM/status/1840824668678181314 The Lebanese Armed Forces are controlled by the central government and have not been engaged in military operations against Israel, in contrast to the Hezbollah militia, which had entered a new intensive round of fighting with Israel starting nearly a year ago. https://twitter.com/idreesali114/status/1840819186425348579 For its part, Hezbollah has been launching rockets into Israel from the border area in recent days, while Lebanon came under heavy Israeli aerial attack. On Friday, Israeli airstrikes on Beirut killed Hassan Nasrallah, the veteran leader of Hezbollah, and much of the group's leadership. You can read our coverage of this decapitation strike [here](). While Hezbollah says it will continue to fight Israel, the fighting potential of the group has been severely degraded in the past couple of weeks. Israeli decapitation operations, including [exploding pagers]() and [walkie-talkies](), as well as airstrikes, have removed not only Nasrallah but also many of his associates. Key facilities housing Hezbollah weaponry and personnel have also been relentlessly struck. The success of these operations may well be reflected in the scale of the ground offensive that looks set to follow. Another key factor is Israel’s stated plan to return tens of thousands of Israelis who had been evacuated from towns along the northern border with Lebanon when Hezbollah stepped up its campaign of rocket attacks. With the return of these evacuees having been approved by Israeli officials, a major military operation against the militant group began to look much more likely. The U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and other senior U.S. officials have been monitoring and responding to “unfolding events in the Middle East” over the weekend, according to Matthew Miller, a U.S. State Department spokesperson. Miller today said he will let Israel “speak to its own military operations”, including the “timing, purpose, tempo” of those operations. Whatever shape those operations take, it now appears more likely than not that the conflict in the Middle East has reached a critical new juncture. ***Update, 15:00 p.m. PST:*** Israel appears to have launched a significant new wave of airstrikes across Lebanon, with Beirut again among the targets, as reports from Israel now suggest the country’s security cabinet has approved the next phase of the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon. There are [reports]() of at least two airstrikes in Dahieh, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Hezbollah leader Nasrallah was killed last Friday. The latest raids are said to have come around 30 minutes after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for residents close to what it said were buildings housing Hezbollah installations. https://twitter.com/Archer83Able/status/1840864351521292448 According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, 95 people have been killed in Israeli strikes across the country today. The worsening situation in Lebanon has led to other countries launching evacuation efforts for their citizens there. The U.K. government has announced a charter evacuation flight for Britons to leave Lebanon. The U.K. Foreign Office said the flight would leave Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy issued the following statement: “The situation in Lebanon is volatile and has potential to deteriorate quickly. The safety of British nationals in Lebanon continues to be our utmost priority. That’s why the U.K. government is chartering a flight to help those wanting to leave. It is vital that you leave now as further evacuation may not be guaranteed.” The German government has already started to fly some of its citizens home from Lebanon. Around 9:00 p.m. local time this evening, a German Air Force Airbus A321 aircraft arrived in Berlin, carrying German citizens on behalf of the Federal Foreign Office. https://twitter.com/Team_Luftwaffe/status/1840844656097026120 Members of the cabinet gave their approval during a meeting of the Israeli security cabinet this evening, the Jerusalem Post reported. ***UPDATE: 8:00 PM EST—*** The IDF's statement on the operation is as follows: *"In accordance with the decision of the political echelon, a few hours ago, the IDF began limited, localized, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon. These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel. The IDF is operating according to a methodical plan set out by the General Staff and the Northern Command which IDF soldiers have trained and prepared for in recent months. The Israeli Air Force and IDF Artillery are supporting the ground forces with precise strikes on military targets in the area. These operations were approved and carried out in accordance with the decision of the political echelon. Operation “Northern Arrows” will continue according to the situational assessment and in parallel to combat in Gaza and in other arenas. The IDF is continuing to operate to achieve the goals of the war and is doing everything necessary to defend the citizens of Israel and return the citizens of northern Israel to their homes."* A car was hit in Damascus, Syria, with unconfirmed reports that it was a targeted assassination: https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1840901325506117738 *Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()