An Israeli self-propelled howitzer artillery gun fires rounds towards southern Lebanon from a position in the upper Galilee in northern Israel near the border. AFP
The Israeli military said on Monday it had begun what it described as "limited ground operations" in southern Lebanon.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2 when Hezbollah group attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes, with Israel launching air raids on the neighbouring country and troop incursions into border areas.
"In recent days, army troops from the 91st division have begun limited and targeted ground operations against key Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, aimed at enhancing the forward defence area," the military said in a statement.
The announcement echoes similar statements issued in 2024, when Israel and Hezbollah fought a major war in Lebanon, and in 2023, when the military launched a ground assault in Gaza.
The announcement came hours after Israel conducted fresh strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah bastion which is usually home to hundreds of thousands of people.
Earlier in the war, the Israeli military issued an unprecedented evacuation warning for that entire area, sparking a major displacement crisis in Lebanon. The army has also told people across south Lebanon to flee.
Despite the 2024 ceasefire deal, Israel had conducted near-daily air strikes on Lebanon.
In recent days, the military has said that Hezbollah and Iran had launched several coordinated attacks against Israel by rockets and missiles.
Lebanese authorities said the death toll from Israeli attacks rose to 850, while more than 830,000 people had registered as displaced, including some 130,000 staying in collective shelters.
Israel, meanwhile, said no direct talks were planned with Lebanon to end the latest war with Hezbollah, which has been raging for two weeks.
The statement came a day after a Lebanese official said Beirut was preparing a delegation to negotiate with Israel.
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