West Jerusalem announced the start of cross-border ground raids in the early hours of Tuesday

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the beginning of “limited, localized, and targeted ground raids” against the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon on Tuesday. The move comes after two weeks of bombing by the Jewish state that killed over 1,000 people and displaced 1 million more.

During the bombing campaign, the IDF killed several senior Hezbollah members, including the group’s long-time leader, Hassan Nasrallah. The intensification of airstrikes came after thousands of hand-held pagers and radios used by Hezbollah members simultaneously exploded across Lebanon, killing both militants and civilians. Although it was widely reported that Mossad was behind the blasts, Israeli neither confirmed nor denied its involvement. 

The goal of the IDF operation is to ensure the safety of citizens living in the northern part of Israel, West Jerusalem said. Hezbollah has been launching barrages of rockets into Israel in what it had said was an act of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. Some 70,000 Israelis have been displaced due to Hezbollah attacks. 

The IDF occupied parts of southern Lebanon from 1982 to 2000 in what became known as the First Lebanon War in Israel.

Israel invaded Lebanon again in 2006, which resulted in a 34-day conflict with Hezbollah.