Hezbollah: Israeli troops begin ground war in Lebanon

Israel has launched what it called “a limited ground operation” across its northern border into Lebanon.

CNN reports that the operation targets the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, opening a new and dangerous phase in almost a year of war.

The latest escalation comes after Israel killed Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike on Friday.

The Israeli Defense Forces, IDF, also decimated the leadership of the most powerful paramilitary force in the Middle East.

The invasion marks the fourth time that Israeli soldiers have publicly entered Lebanese soil in nearly 50 years, and the first since Israel’s 34-day war in the country in 2006, CNN said.

Before now, Israeli troops had laid the groundwork for the incursion in recent days, ramping up airstrikes that have killed hundreds of people and destroyed homes in Lebanon.

Hezbollah: Israeli troops begin ground war in Lebanon