IDF Crosses the Border Into Lebanon

The IDF announced on Monday evening that it had begun "limited, localized, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon," as part of "a methodical plan set out by the General Staff and the Northern Command, which soldiers have trained and prepared for in recent months."

The IDF formations were led by Division 98, which has gained tremendous experience fighting in Gaza over the past year. That famously included the defeat of Hamas' Khan Yunis Brigade, arguably its toughest unit, in a drawn out series of battles from December 2023 to March 2024.

Just before crossing the border, a senior officer gave the soldiers a pep talk, telling them that "We have a great honor to write history in the North just like we did in Gaza. We started with lower-grade operations, but today, we are starting a more substantial invasion in order to return the northern residents to their homes."

IDF Spokesperson in Arabic, Avichay Adraee, also warned residents of Beirut suburbs to evacuate on Monday night as there were air strikes planned on Hezbollah positions there.

US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told journalists at a press conference on Monday,"This is what they have informed us that they are currently conducting, which are limited operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure near the border."

Monday evening around 8:39 PM, the IDF announced that the border communities of Metulla, Misgav Am, and Kfar Giladi were closed military zones.

Around 9:00 PM, the Lebanese National Army began moving back away from the border in an apparent attempt to avoid confronting the IDF forces as they moved across the border.

Shortly thereafter, reports emerged of increased tank and artillery fire by IDF forces at Hezbollah positions inside Lebanon, tracking with reports that earlier in the evening the security cabinet had approved a plan to remove the infrastructure of the Hezbollah Radwan Force from the border area. These highly trained Hezbollah troops were reportedly being prepared to cross the border into Israel to carry out October 7th-style attacks on Israeli communities.

Although the IDF is taking no chances and preparing for stiff resistance from Hezbollah ground forces, many senior officers and intelligence officials have expressed surprise that Hezbollah's much-feared rocket forces have fired so few weapons into Israel in the past two weeks since Israel stepped up its own actions against the Iranian-backed group.

IDF actions to decapitate Hezbollah's senior leadership and destroy many of the rockets and launchers that it had ready to fire into Israel appear to have been even more effective than the most optimistic pre-war assessments. Israeli officials are still cautioning that there is a need for humility, but they are also beginning to talk about the progress which has already been made and the hopes that this war will be shorter and less difficult than they feared it might be.