Israel begins ground op beyond 'Yellow Line' to confront Hezbollah drone threat
Israeli forces have begun operating beyond their so-called "Yellow Line" in south Lebanon, which runs around 10 kilometers (six miles) deep inside Lebanese territory, a military official confirmed to AFP on Tuesday.
"The IDF (army) is operating in a targeted manner beyond the Forward Defense Line in order to remove direct threats to the citizens of the State of Israel and IDF troops, in accordance with the directives of the political echelon," the military official said when asked about reports that the military had begun ground operations beyond its demarcation line.
"Specific details regarding soldiers' locations cannot be provided," the official added.
Israeli troops have until now been operating inside the self-declared "Yellow Line", where they have carried out large-scale demolitions despite a ceasefire in effect since April 17.
Israel's left-leaning Haaretz newspaper and news site Ynet reported that troops had begun ground operations north of the Yellow Line in order to reduce the threat posed by Hezbollah's explosive drones.
Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have continued to exchange fire on a near-daily basis despite the ceasefire.
Several strikes hit the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on Tuesday after an unprecedented Israeli evacuation warning, an AFP correspondent said, a day after at least 11 were killed in a strike in the country's east.
Hezbollah meanwhile said it confronted Israeli troops trying to advance into a town that overlooks the city.
It is unclear how deep the Israeli army intends to penetrate, but multiple Israeli army officials had recently cited specific locations beyond the Yellow Line, near their existing positions, from which they believed they could reduce the drone threat if they occupied those positions.
On the other hand, if Hezbollah simply moves its drones and launching teams back further, it could potentially continue to launch drones on Israeli forces.
"Whether the latest penetration is designed to gradually increase Israeli control of Lebanese territory as a pressure point to get Hezbollah to reduce drone attacks or even agree to partial disarmament, or whether it is more symbolic to show the Israeli public that the Israeli army and government are responding harshly to the drone attacks, also remains unclear," Israel's Jerusalem Post newspaper said on Tuesday.
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse
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