Israel army advance in south Lebanon, says creating buffer zone
Israeli forces advanced into a border area in Lebanese territory on Tuesday, a Lebanese army source told AFP, shortly after the Israeli defense minister instructed his troops to "take control of additional strategic positions in Lebanon".
"Israeli ground forces advanced from Kfar Kila and the Khiam plains," along the Lebanon-Israel border, the source said, requesting anonymity and expressing concern over "Israel's attempt to establish a broad security belt in south Lebanon".
The Israeli military said it was creating a buffer zone in Lebanon.
"In practice, Northern Command has moved forward, taken control of the dominating terrain, and is creating a buffer, as we promised, between our residents and any threat," military spokesman Effie Defrin said in a televised statement.
The Israeli military had said earlier on Tuesday that it had deployed troops to several locations in southern Lebanon, in what it described as a "forward defense" measure along the border.
"We have positioned soldiers on the border area in additional points to defend our civilians, to prevent Hezbollah from attacking them," military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told journalists in a briefing.
"This is not a ground operation. This is a tactical measure... to ensure the safety of our people," he added.
Israel's military earlier said it had launched new strikes on Hezbollah targets, including "command centers and weapons storage facilities" in Beirut's southern suburbs, after warning it would press ahead with its campaign against the Iran-backed militant group.
Hezbollah said it had targeted three Israeli military bases in response to the assaults on its strongholds, calling its rocket and drone attacks a "defensive act" after more than a year of Israeli strikes despite a ceasefire.
Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday he told the military to take control of more positions in Lebanon in response.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have authorized the Israel Defense Forces to advance and take control of additional strategic positions in Lebanon in order to prevent attacks on Israeli border communities," Katz said in a statement.
- 'All options on the table' -
Defrin, on Monday said "all options are on the table" when asked by a journalist whether Israel was going to expand its strikes on Lebanon into a ground offensive.
"We are operating in Lebanon as well in order to remove a significant threat... Bottom line, all options are on the table. We will act to disarm Hezbollah," Defrin said in response to the question during a televised briefing.
Earlier on Monday, the military's international spokesman Shoshani said there was no reason to launch a ground invasion of Lebanon "imminently" after an overnight attack from Lebanese armed group Hezbollah prompted Israel to retaliate with strikes.
- Lebanese army redeploys troops in border area -
The Lebanese army has redeployed soldiers from several recently established border positions on Tuesday following the Israeli army's "escalation", a military source told AFP.
The troops "numbering in total eight to nine soldiers at each point, were redeployed to their bases because of the danger to their safety", the Lebanese military said.
Source: Agence France Presse
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/318721 |