After declaring war on Hezbollah for joining the war overnight Sunday and following additional rocket and drone launches from Lebanon into Israel overnight Monday, the IDF announced Tuesday morning that a limited number of ground forces were deployed to southern Lebanon.

Forces from the 91st Division entered southern Lebanon beyond the five outposts it maintained during the ceasefire and captured key points to bolster forward defenses. In practice, IDF forces have launched a ground invasion into Lebanon.

The IDF spokesperson stated, “91st Division forces have entered southern Lebanon on the ground and captured several positions to strengthen forward defenses to create an additional security layer for northern residents through extensive strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure to neutralize threats and prevent attempts to infiltrate Israel.”

The IDF added, “The Hezbollah terror organization chose to fight on Iran’s behalf and will face the consequences. We won’t tolerate attacks on Israeli civilians, and we will continue to protect them by any means necessary.”

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said, “The IDF continues to operate forcefully against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. The terrorist organization is paying and will pay a steep price for firing on Israel.”

“To prevent the possibility of direct fire on Israeli communities, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and I authorized the IDF to advance and seize additional dominant positions in Lebanon and defend border yishuvim from there. We promised security for the residents of the Galil, and we’ll deliver it.”

Also on Tuesday morning, the Israeli Air Force carried out a wave of strikes against Hezbollah targets in Beirut.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)