The Israeli military says plans for the expansion of ground and air attacks against the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah have been approved, amid fears in Lebanon that Israel is preparing a large-scale ground invasion of the country.
Israel has intensified its campaign against Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia and political party, after the group fired rockets into Israel earlier this month amid the war between the US and Israel against Iran.
Since then, more than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese health ministry, including at least 118 children and 40 health workers. More than a million people have been displaced, which could lead to a major humanitarian crisis.
Israeli officials say the aim is to protect communities in northern Israel from Hezbollah attacks. On Sunday, the Israeli military said the chief of the general staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, had approved plans 'to advance the targeted ground operations and strikes' against Hezbollah, and that this would be a 'prolonged operation'.
This followed a statement by the defence minister, Israel Katz, who said Israeli forces had been instructed to destroy the crossings over the Litani river that were being used by Hezbollah to send reinforcements. An Israeli air strike then damaged the Qasmiye bridge on one of the main routes linking the south to central Lebanon, near the coastal city of Tyre.
In Lebanon, many worry that Israel is planning to isolate the south – the heartland of the Shia community and of Hezbollah – from the rest of the country ahead of an operation to occupy some areas and create a so-called buffer zone.
Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun said the Israeli strikes were a 'prelude to a ground invasion' amounting to a 'policy of collective punishment against civilians', and that they could be part of 'suspicious schemes' to pursue an expansion of Israel's presence in Lebanese territory.
Katz also said Israeli forces had been ordered to demolish homes in Lebanese villages along the border to neutralise threats to Israeli communities, employing methods akin to those used in the conflict with Hamas in Gaza, where buildings were destroyed and areas evacuated to create security zones.
This latest escalation follows a period marked by the group's retaliation for the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon despite a ceasefire protocol.
Lebanon’s government has vowed to disarm Hezbollah, formed in response to Israel's occupation during the Lebanese civil war, yet the group has so far refused to discuss disarmament.
Israel has intensified its campaign against Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia and political party, after the group fired rockets into Israel earlier this month amid the war between the US and Israel against Iran.
Since then, more than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese health ministry, including at least 118 children and 40 health workers. More than a million people have been displaced, which could lead to a major humanitarian crisis.
Israeli officials say the aim is to protect communities in northern Israel from Hezbollah attacks. On Sunday, the Israeli military said the chief of the general staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, had approved plans 'to advance the targeted ground operations and strikes' against Hezbollah, and that this would be a 'prolonged operation'.
This followed a statement by the defence minister, Israel Katz, who said Israeli forces had been instructed to destroy the crossings over the Litani river that were being used by Hezbollah to send reinforcements. An Israeli air strike then damaged the Qasmiye bridge on one of the main routes linking the south to central Lebanon, near the coastal city of Tyre.
In Lebanon, many worry that Israel is planning to isolate the south – the heartland of the Shia community and of Hezbollah – from the rest of the country ahead of an operation to occupy some areas and create a so-called buffer zone.
Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun said the Israeli strikes were a 'prelude to a ground invasion' amounting to a 'policy of collective punishment against civilians', and that they could be part of 'suspicious schemes' to pursue an expansion of Israel's presence in Lebanese territory.
Katz also said Israeli forces had been ordered to demolish homes in Lebanese villages along the border to neutralise threats to Israeli communities, employing methods akin to those used in the conflict with Hamas in Gaza, where buildings were destroyed and areas evacuated to create security zones.
This latest escalation follows a period marked by the group's retaliation for the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon despite a ceasefire protocol.
Lebanon’s government has vowed to disarm Hezbollah, formed in response to Israel's occupation during the Lebanese civil war, yet the group has so far refused to discuss disarmament.
