Since Israel declared war on Hamas on Oct. 7, it has been clashing with Hezbollah almost daily along the two countries' border.
A living room damaged by an Hezbollah anti-tank missile direct hit on a house near the Lebanon border in Moshav Shtula, northern Israel. (Photo credit: Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The fighting has forced thousands of people on both sides of the border to flee their homes.
Rescuers check the destruction at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb of Shayyah on October 2, 2024. A (Photo by AFP)
On Sep. 17, Israel's defense minister then announced that Israel was expanding its official war goals to include helping the Israelis who fled the north to return home.
An Israeli army main battle tank moves at a position along the border with Lebanon in northern Israel on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP)
On Monday, Sep. 30, Israel said it launched a “limited, localized, and targeted” ground invasion into southern Lebanon.
It said it is conducting a "precise" operation against Hezbollah targets in villages close to the border that “pose a threat” to Israeli communities.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visits an airbase near the city of Haifa in northern Israel on September 18, 2024. (Photo by GPO - Ariel Hermoni/Anadolu via Getty Images)
This is the first time in 18 years that Israeli troops have crossed into Lebanon.
On Tuesday, Oct. 1, Israel’s military spokesperson ordered the residents of 27 villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate, telling them that going south could "put their lives in danger”.
United Nations forces patroll the area as dozens of families leave the border village of Al Wazzani in southern Lebanon. (Photo by Ramiz Dallah/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Both the Israeli military and Hezbollah confirmed on Wednesday, Oct. 2 that there had been "intense clashes" at the border.
This appears to be the first face-to-face incident since Israel's invasion, according to Al Jazeera.
Israeli infantry soldiers cross the Lebanese border back into northern Israel August 9, 2006. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
The UN's peacekeeping forces in Lebanon said in a statement that it will keep its position, adding that any crossing into Lebanon violates Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity.
A young boy stands in front of a destroyed building in the aftermath of overnight Israeli airstrikes on the Mreijeh neighbourhood of Beirut's southern suburbs on September 28, 2024. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP)
It urged "all actors to step back from such escalatory acts", saying it will only lead to more violence and bloodshed.
Cherry Mohamed
Kassy Cho
Kassy Cho
