Reuters and AP, JERUSALEM
Israeli forces have been carrying out raids into southern Lebanon for months, uncovering Hezbollah tunnels and weapon caches under homes and uncovering invasion plans by the group, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said yesterday.
Hagari said the details were being declassified, hours after Israel announced a ground operation against the Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon.
Dozens of such operations had uncovered detailed plans by Hezbollah to enter Israel and carry out an attack similar to the one led by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in southern Israel on Oct. 7 last year.
Photo: Reuters
The findings and evidence discovered under homes in villages in southern Lebanon during the raids would be presented to the international community, Hagari said.
He presented videos from soldiers’ body cameras and maps.
Earlier yesterday, the Israeli military warned people to evacuate nearly two dozen Lebanese border communities hours after announcing the start of “limited” ground operations against Hezbollah.
The militant group denied Israeli troops had entered Lebanon.
Israel advised people to evacuate to the north of the Awali River, about 60km from the border and much farther than the Litani River, which marks the northern edge of a UN-declared zone that was intended to serve as a buffer between Israel and Hezbollah after their 2006 war.
“You must immediately head north of the Awali River to save yourselves, and leave your houses immediately,” said the statement posted by the Israeli military’s Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, on the platform X.
The warning applied to communities south of the Litani.
The border region has largely emptied out over the past year as the two sides have traded fire. However, the scope of the evacuation warning raised questions as to how deep Israel plans to send its forces into Lebanon as it presses ahead with a rapidly escalating campaign against Hezbollah.
Anticipating more rocket attacks from Hezbollah, the Israeli army announced new restrictions on public gatherings and closed beaches.
An Associated Press reporter saw Israeli troops operating near the border in armored trucks, with helicopters circling overhead, but could not confirm ground forces had crossed into Lebanon.
Ahead of the Israeli announcement of an incursion, US officials on Monday said Israel had described launching small ground raids inside Lebanon as it prepared for a wider operation.
Neither the Lebanese army nor a UN peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL, which patrol southern Lebanon, have confirmed that Israeli forces entered.
UNIFIL said any such cross-border operation would be a “dangerous development” and a violation of Lebanese sovereignty.
Israel says it has carried out raids in Lebanon for months
