Israel says it has launched a ground invasion in southern Lebanon against the armed group Hezbollah, marking another significant escalation of their long-running conflict that has heightened fears of a regional war.

(Oct. 1, 2024 / JNS) — The Israel Defense Forces revealed on Tuesday that it had carried out dozens of secret ground operations into Southern Lebanon over the past year to reduce Hezbollah’s war-making capability, destroying the terror group’s tunnels and hidden weapons caches.

The ground invasion of Lebanon represents a significant escalation of the conflict in a Middle East that threatens to suck in the US and Iran.An Israeli strike in Lebanon early on Tuesday targeted Mounir Maqdah, commander of the Lebanese branch of the Palestinian Fatah movement’s military wing.