ISRAEL has invaded Lebanon after weeks of a brutal airstrike campaign as it seeks to cripple terror group Hezbollah.
Troops and tanks have stormed across the border hours after Israel revealed special forces had already attacked defence tunnels inside the country.
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In a statement just before midnight Monday UK time, the IDF said its troops were backed by artillery and the air force.
It dubbed the brave gambit against Iran’s proxy army, which has rained missiles on Jewish homes for nearly a year, Operation Northern Arrows.
The force described the invasion as “limited” and “localised” ground raids against Hezbollah terrorist targets in southern Lebanon that pose a threat to Israel.
The IDF revealed planning has been going on for months and was only launched after approval by political leaders.
They said: “The IDF began a few hours ago a targeted and demarcated ground operation in southern Lebanon against terrorist targets and infrastructures of the terrorist organisation Hezbollah.”
Israel’s army will face up to 50,000 Hezbollah fighters using a network of tunnels stacked with guns and ammunition and 100,000 rockets to defend against their technologically advanced foe.
Many of the paramilitary group’s soldiers are battle-hardened after fighting in the Syrian Civil War – but much of their leadership has recently been wiped out.
Israel hammered Damascus, in Syria, with rounds of airstrikes targeting a military airport, local media claimed, soon after the announcement.
The UK has charted a commercial flight to help British nationals and their families flee the country – that will take off on Wednesday.
Lebanese troops have already pulled back five kilometres inside their own country, Reuters reports.
The move appeared to indicate that Lebanon was stepping aside to allow the showdown between the arch-enemies to begin.
Just hours before, Israel imposed a no-go military zone on the border and prohibited civilians from entering it.
Soon after, parts of southern Lebanon were said to have been shelled by tank and artillery fire.
Israel massed tanks, soldiers, and 13,000 reservists at its northern border with Lebanon in preparation for the strike.
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The incursion comes 11 months after the October 7 terror attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 people in Israel.
Western allies have scrambled to broker a temporary ceasefire between terror group Hezbollah and Israel over the last few days – branding the escalation of violence “intolerable”.
But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected it and vowed to double-down on Hezbollah with “full force”.
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) pledged they will fight the Iran-backed paramilitary group “until victory”.
Israeli defence minister Minister Yoav Gallant told troops deployed to the country’s northern border: “We will use all the forces from the air, sea and land”.
Hezbollah’s deputy chief Naim Qassem today insisted the terror group is ready for any Israeli ground offensive.
He vowed Hezbollah will continue with its mission against Israel despite the loss of its leader and other top brass.
Qassem said: “We will not budge an inch from our position in supporting Gaza and Palestine and defending Lebanon and its people.
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“We know that the battle is long and the options are open to us, and we are ready for the enemy to enter by land, as the resistance forces are ready for the ground encounter.”
Qassem spoke after two weeks of intensive airstrikes had wiped out Hezbollah’s leadership in a string of assassinations, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday night.
Israel has also today continued its ruthless drive to decapitate terror groups with more assassinations after the deaths of Hamas’ boss in Lebanon and Hezbollah’s chief.
The invasion marks a culmination of intensifying fighting over the past few weeks as Israel shifted to a “new phase” in its war.
It added a new war goal earlier this month vowing to return all evacuated citizens in the north of the country back to their homes.
Hezbollah rockets fired across the border since October 7 have killed nearly 30 civilians and 20 soldiers and forced another 80,000 Israelis to leave their homes.
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In Lebanon, an Israeli air campaign over the past weeks in preparation for the attack has caused one million people to be displaced and hundreds killed by the airstrikes.
One ex-Mossad spy previously told The Sun Israel would create a “no-go” buffer “death zone” in the south of Lebanon where nobody would live.
Israel called up reserves last week, adding another 10,000 soldiers to the troops already there.
Tanks and military trucks have also been seen transported towards the border over the past few days.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi previously told troops what the purpose of their invasion was.
He said: “You will go in, destroy the enemy there, and decisively destroy their infrastructure.
“These are the things that will allow us to safely return the residents of the north afterward.”
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UK and US officials have urged their citizens to escape the country as soon as possible.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said just days ago: “But it is important that we be really, really clear: now is the time to leave.”
Hundreds of Brit troops have been deployed to Cyprus in case they need to evacuate 10,000 Brits from Lebanon in an operation dubbed Meteoric.
Iran is said to have particularly helped to bolster Hezbollah’s arsenal by supplying light weapons, anti-tank missiles and long-range unguided missiles.
Hezbollah’s decade of destructive preperation
By Foreign News Reporter Juliana Cruz Lima
Following the 2006 Lebanon War, in which Israel and Hezbollah fought to a bloody standstill, the terror group began preparing for the next conflict.
They constructed a vast underground network across southern Lebanon.
The lessons of that war, in which Hezbollah’s small, mobile units were able to surprise and sometimes overpower Israeli forces, have been embedded in its military doctrine ever since.
The tunnels are now a key part of this strategy, allowing Hezbollah to replicate the tactics of insurgencies around the world: strike fast, disappear, and use the enemy’s size and strength against them.
Some of these tunnels have been found stretching into Israeli territory, designed to facilitate surprise raids deep inside northern Israel.
In 2018, the IDF launched Operation Northern Shield, a months-long mission to detect and destroy Hezbollah’s cross-border tunnels.
The discovery of these tunnels — some reinforced with concrete and running dozens of meters underground — revealed just how advanced Hezbollah’s capabilities had become.
Last month, Hezbollah revealed its hidden terror tunnel network from which missiles can be launched in a chilling threat to Israel.
A blood-curdling video released by the Lebanese terrorists revealed a giant underground roads with enough room for lorries to transport their deadly weapons.
Posters of leaders and soldiers adorn the tall stone walls as heavily armed men speed through the “missile city” in motorbikes.
Trucks loaded with enormous missiles make their way through the dark roads in a frightening glimpse of the terrorists’ arsenal.
Drone footage then shows the seemingly endless terror maze, which also appears to be home to military tech and computers.
Inside the terror tunnels, Hezbollah fighters can move unseen, store weapons, and launch ambushes, creating a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with the IDF.
They can also move into a much larger network of bunkers, missile silos, and command centres, deeply embedded in civilian areas.
These tunnels – which can stretch for miles – link critical positions, allowing Hezbollah fighters to emerge, strike, and then vanish back underground before Israel can respond.
Reports also suggest that Hezbollah has been expanding its tunnel network in southern Lebanon in recent weeks.
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