Israel announces closed military zone near borders with Lebanon, amid reports Israeli ground assault is near

By Anadolu Staff

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli army on Monday evening announced it is establishing a closed military zone near the country’s borders with Lebanon amid reports of an imminent Israeli ground offensive into southern Lebanon.

According to an Israeli military statement, the announcement came following a situational assessment of the situation along Israeli-Lebanese border areas.

The statement added that the closed military zone covers the settlements of the Metula, Misgav Am, and Kfar Giladi in northern Israel, strictly prohibiting entry.

The Israeli army on Monday evening also said that the army's Northern Command approved tactical battle plans for a ground offensive into Lebanon.

It added that the army's divisions in recent days carried out drills near the borders with Lebanon, simulating "various scenarios."

In line with these developments, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said earlier on Monday that the next stage of fighting against Lebanese group Hezbollah will "begin soon."

Hezbollah said it is ready to confront any Israeli incursion into southern Lebanon.

“The battle is long, the options are open, and we will confront any Israeli ground invasion into Lebanon,” said Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s deputy head, speaking for the group after its head Hassan Nasrallah was killed last week by Israel.

Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 960 people and injuring over 2,770 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Several Hezbollah leaders have been killed in the assault, including Nasrallah.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, most of them women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar