Israel has expanded its military operation in Lebanon

Israel has expanded its military operation in Lebanon

The Israeli military's ground offensive in southern Lebanon has been expanded, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday. Katz did not reveal when the decision to expand the operation was made or comment on the specific details of the expansion. Israel issued what was described as a “limited Ground operation The offensive was launched to drive Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon.

Military activities and attacks

Katz told soldiers during his first visit to Israel's Northern Command: "We have expanded ground operations in southern Lebanon and are attacking Hezbollah targets in the Dahiyeh district in Beirut and wherever necessary." There were nearly 20 Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday and Wednesday on what the Israeli military described as Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Beirut.

No prospect of a ceasefire

The newly appointed defense minister made it clear that Israel would not accept “any ceasefires.” “We will not take our foot off the gas,” Katz stressed, adding that Israel “will not accept any deal that does not ensure the disarmament of Hezbollah and its withdrawal across the Litani River – and in particular Israel's right to act against any terrorist activity and organization.” The Litani River runs about 20 kilometers from Israel's northern border.

Rocket strikes from Lebanon

Despite Israel's ground operation in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah continues to carry out daily rocket attacks on parts of northern Israel and launch drone strikes against Israeli cities. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), about 50 projectiles were fired from Lebanon into Israel by Hezbollah on Wednesday. Hezbollah said Wednesday that it had carried out at least 20 attacks against Israel and its forces in Lebanon using drones, rockets and missiles, and that these actions were "in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip... and in defense of Lebanon and its people."

Civilian casualties and humanitarian crisis

Israel's offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon is also taking a heavy toll on civilians. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, at least 20 children have been killed since Sunday. At least eight children were killed in the town of Joun in southern Lebanon on Tuesday. A separate attack on the same day left at least two children dead in Baalchmay, southeast of Beirut.

On Wednesday, an Israeli attack in the village of Dawhet Aramoun, south of Beirut, resulted in the deaths of three children. On Sunday, an Israeli airstrike killed seven children in the village of Aalmat, north of Beirut. UNICEF spokesman James Elder said in a post on He added: “The children of Lebanon are living through the deadliest phase of this war.”

Losses on both sides

As of Tuesday, at least 2,683 people have been killed and 12,144 injured in Lebanon since mid-September, when Israel stepped up its offensive against Hezbollah, according to a CNN tally of Health Ministry figures that do not distinguish between fighters and civilians. Katz's announcement expanding Israel's ground operation also coincides with the military's confirmation that six Israeli soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon on Wednesday. This is among the deadliest days for Israeli troops in Lebanon since the ground incursion began on October 1.

The dead on Wednesday were all from the Golani Brigade, considered an elite infantry unit, and included a platoon leader, a squad leader, a squad sergeant and three soldiers, the IDF said. At least 41 Israeli soldiers have died in Lebanon since the ground offensive began on October 1st. At least 792 Israeli soldiers have been killed since Hamas' deadly attacks on the country on October 7, 2023, including 373 inside the Gaza Strip, according to a CNN count of IDF figures.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh and Nechirvan Mando reportedly contributed to this report.