Israel expands ground operations in Lebanon as Hezbollah fires long-range missiles

Shafaq News- Middle East

The Israeli military has expanded its ground incursion six kilometers into southern Lebanon with the participation of several combat brigades, Israel’s public broadcaster reported on Wednesday.

Citing sources, the broadcaster said the army is deepening its advance in the area, adding that “we are doing what the Lebanese army was supposed to do in southern Lebanon.”

The sources noted that ground operations in southern Lebanon would resemble those carried out in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, stressing that Israeli forces would continue to maintain control in southern Lebanon “until a party capable of preventing Hezbollah from operating there is found.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the same outlet reported that Hezbollah had carried out what it described as its longest-range rocket attack, firing toward areas near the Gaza envelope in southern Israel, at a distance of about 200 kilometers. Other media reports said a Hezbollah rocket reached the vicinity of Ashkelon for the first time. Meanwhile, Hezbollah launched a heavy barrage of rockets from Lebanon overnight, triggering sirens in Ashkelon, areas surrounding the Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights.