Israeli troops entered Lebanon "dozens" of times since October 7 attack: IDF

The Israeli military announced a “limited” ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon on Tuesday but Israel has been conducting cross-border raids in the country since the October 7 attack, IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari has said.

“In the past day, IDF started an operation in the area close to the border. This is an additional action to what we already do in Lebanon,” Hagari said in a briefing on Tuesday.

While Hezbollah has denied Israel’s claim of launching a ground offensive in Lebanon, Hagari said Israeli troops have been carrying out raids in the region to dismantle “Hezbollah’s terrorist capabilities and infrastructure that pose a threat to Israeli civilian communities in northern Israel.”

He said, “Our soldiers entered Lebanon dozens of times. They entered villages. They revealed tunnels and collected intelligence. They destroyed infrastructure and weapons. They revealed and destroyed more than 700 sites.”

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said Israeli strikes hit two areas of south Beirut on Tuesday in the latest raids targeting the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

The NNA reported a “violent enemy strike” that targeted a building near the Zahraa Hospital in Hezbollah’s south Beirut stronghold, then another minute later on a building near the Kuwaiti embassy.

The Israeli army mobilised four additional brigades to be deployed in missions along the northern border, the military said on Tuesday, after launching ground operations targeting Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon overnight.

“This will enable the continuation of operational activity against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation and the achievement of operational goals, including the safe return of the residents of northern Israel to their homes,” the army said in a statement.

With inputs from AFP