Israeli army calls up additional reserve brigade for Lebanon ground incursion

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli army said Friday that it called up an additional reserve brigade to its northern border as it continues to battle Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon.

“In accordance with the situational assessment, the IDF (army) is calling up an additional reserve brigade for operational missions in the northern arena,” a military statement said.

“This will enable the continuation of combat efforts against Hezbollah and the achievement of the goals of the war, including the safe return of the residents of northern Israel to their homes,” the statement added.

On Oct. 1, the Israeli army announced the call-up of four reserve brigades to bolster operations on the northern border with Lebanon.

The army also announced last Tuesday that five military divisions are engaged in operations on the front with Lebanon.

A division typically consists of two or more brigades, with over 10,000 soldiers, according to military definitions.

Israel dramatically escalated its massive bombing campaign across Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23, killing at least 1,437 people, injuring over 4,123 others, and displacing more than 1.34 million people.

The aerial campaign is an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of its offensive on the Gaza Strip, in which Israel has killed 42,500 people, most of them women and children, since a Hamas attack last year.

Despite international warnings that the Mideast was on the brink of a regional war amid Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, it expanded the conflict on Oct. 1 by launching an incursion into southern Lebanon.