This Tuesday, the Israeli army ordered residents in about 30 towns in southern Lebanon to leave them “immediately” and go north of the Awali River, up to 60 kilometers from the border and 30 kilometers north of the most conflictive area. in which the blue helmets are deployed. “They are prohibited from going south. “Any transfer to the south could endanger their lives,” said an Israeli military spokesman. “For your safety, you must immediately evacuate your homes. Anyone who is close to Hezbollah members, facilities and combat assets puts their lives in danger. “Any house used by Hezbollah for its military needs is a target.” The army made the announcement after launching a ground incursion, accompanied by aerial and artillery fire, about the magnitude and depth of which unknowns have emerged as the hours have passed.
In the early morning, after announcing the incursion, the Israeli Armed Forces reported “strong clashes” with members of Hezbollah, but this Tuesday the Lebanese army and Hezbollah agreed to ensure that Israeli forces have not entered Lebanese territory for the “ limited, localized and selective raids” that they had announced. “All claims by the Zionists that the occupation forces have entered Lebanon are false,” Hezbollah spokesman Mohamad Afif told Al Jazeera television. “There are no ground confrontations between the resistance and the occupation forces. “Our fighters are prepared to confront enemy forces if they dare to try to enter Lebanese territory.” Sources from the United Nations peace and stability mission (Unifil) only speak of “very limited activity”, without any weight, although they only have partial information, as they cannot patrol. Yes, there have been intense artillery attacks.
The number of Israeli troops involved is far from massive. Only one division, that is, no more than 10,000. Much less than in the invasion of Gaza, which was accompanied by the largest call-up of reservists in Israel’s history. However, everything is open. Early in the afternoon, the army called up four additional brigades of reservists for operational missions on the border with Lebanon, according to the analysis of the regional situation that – as the army made clear in its announcement – will determine their duration. The military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, insisted this Tuesday that they will focus on the border towns, without heading to Beirut or entering the cities of southern Lebanon. “We will make it as short as we can. Days, weeks…”
The Israeli ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, spoke along the same lines in an interview with France Inter: “The idea is to force Hezbollah to stop being on the edge of the border. I don’t know if it’s a matter of days or weeks, but certainly not months. We have no intention of invading Lebanon. What we are trying to do is allow the return of our population who should be in their homes, in the north of the country (…) Diplomacy has failed for the moment and we have been forced to use force.”
The Awali River flows almost parallel to another river closer to the border: the famous Litani. When you reach it, a sign with the blue color of the UN warns that you are entering the area where thousands of blue helmets are deployed, under the command of a Spanish lieutenant general, Aroldo Lázaro. This morning, the Israeli army warned the population not to cross with their vehicles south of the Litani or they will put themselves in danger.
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