JERUSALEM (AFP) — The Israeli military said on Monday it had begun what it described as “limited ground operations” against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on 2 March when the Tehran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in United States-Israeli strikes, with Israel launching air raids on the neighboring country and troop incursions into border areas.

“In recent days, IDF (Israel Defense Force) troops from the 91st division have begun limited and targeted ground operations against key Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, aimed at enhancing the forward defense area,” the military said in a statement.

“This activity is part of broader defensive efforts to establish and strengthen a forward defensive posture, which includes the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the elimination of terrorists operating in the area, in order to remove threats and create an additional layer of security for residents of northern Israel,” it said.

“Prior to the troops’ entry into the area, the IDF conducted strikes using both artillery and the Israeli Air Force against numerous terrorist targets in order to mitigate threats in the operational environment.”

The announcement echoes similar statements issued in 2024, when Israel and Hezbollah fought a major war in Lebanon, and in 2023, when the military launched a ground assault in Gaza in response to Hamas’ 7 October attacks.

In a separate briefing to journalists, military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said Hezbollah had recently expanded its activities in southern Lebanon.

“We have identified Hezbollah is intending to expand their operations... and firing hundreds of rockets a day” toward Israel, he said.

“They have also sent hundreds of Radwan terrorists to the south,” he said, referring to an elite unit within Hezbollah.

Shoshani said the ground operations were “limited in target against locations what we understand Hezbollah is posing a threat towards our civilians,” he added.