Israel Expands Lebanon Operations After Clashes With Hezbollah Along Litani River

Israel and Hezbollah clashed along the Litani River in southern Lebanon on Tuesday as Israeli troops pushed farther north, with the Litani River described as a de facto boundary in Lebanon despite a ceasefire in place for over a month.

AP reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after meeting with his defense minister and senior military officials that Israel will expand its operations in Lebanon, adding that “The (Israeli Defense Forces) are operating with large forces on the ground and seizing strategic areas.”

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AP also said an Israeli strike on a village in eastern Lebanon has killed at least 12 people, and that Israel’s military said it struck more than 100 Hezbollah sites across southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley overnight.

The BBC reported that strikes in the Bekaa Valley village of Mashghara killed 11 people including two children, citing Lebanon's health ministry, and said Netanyahu had given instructions to “press the pedal even harder” in targeting Hezbollah.

The BBC further said the ceasefire has been repeatedly violated by both sides, threatening to derail talks between the US, Israel and Iran.

In Beirut, Tony Aboud in the Hamra district told NBC that “By just saying a few words on TV he (Netanyahu) causes everyone to panic and flee their homes,” describing fear as Israeli moves brought the capital back into focus.

The BBC reported that Netanyahu’s remarks prompted scenes of panic in Beirut's southern suburbs, where residents were seen fleeing, and said thousands of cars lined the streets with families trying to escape for safety.

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NBC News said an Israeli airstrike on the village of Mashghara in the Bekaa Valley late Monday killed 12 people, and that an Israeli security official said the military had called up an additional battalion to Lebanon.

The BBC also reported that on Tuesday morning the military issued new evacuation orders across Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of violating the terms of a ceasefire between the Israeli and Lebanese governments that came into force on 17 April.

In the same BBC account, Hezbollah said it targeted three barracks and a military post in northern Israel “in response to the violation of the ceasefire” by Israel.

The AP report said over 1 million people in Lebanon have been displaced in the war, which began when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel on March 2 in solidarity with Iran, two days after the Iran war began.

AP also said at least 3,213 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the start of the war, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, with over 9,700 wounded, while Netanyahu’s office said 23 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed in or near southern Lebanon.

The BBC reported that the strikes came as the ceasefire began in mid-April and that the heaviest bombardment since then followed Netanyahu’s Monday vow to “We will deal them a crushing blow,” in response to Hezbollah attacks including those involving fibre-optic drones.

The New York Times said Israel issued an evacuation warning on Tuesday for the entire city of Nabatieh, one of the largest cities in southern Lebanon, signaling that airstrikes there were imminent.

AP said the clashes and strikes unfolded days ahead of talks in Washington between Lebanese and Israeli delegations, with the Lebanese government hoping direct talks opposed by Hezbollah would lead to a permanent ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli troops.