Israel expands ground offensive in Lebanon

By Nathan Morley

The Israeli military says it is expanding its ground offensive against Hezbollah by moving into new areas in southwest Lebanon.

According to reports from Jerusalem, this new incursion – described as ‘limited and targeted’ - will be backed by a 4th Division, bringing the number of soldiers deployed to around 15,000.

The ground offensive in Lebanon was launched on 30 September.

In the north, Israeli air strikes on the capital Beirut continued overnight - the Israeli Defence Forces claimed to have killed a Hezbollah commander in the action.

According to the Lebanese government, over 400,000 people in Lebanon have fled across the border to Syria to escape Israeli strikes.

For its part, Hezbollah began firing rockets at the northern Israeli city of Haifa. Local TV reported that more than 100 rockets were fired, but many were intercepted.

On Monday, Israel held ceremonies to remember the victims of the mass killings and kidnappings carried out by Hamas on 7 October 2023. In Washington, President Biden noted the "unspeakable brutality" of the Hamas attacks.