Israeli military begins ground operation in Lebanon

The Israeli military says it has begun a "limited, localised" operation against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, opening a new front in its war against the Lebanese militant group.

In a brief announcement on Tuesday, it said it was striking Hezbollah targets in areas close to the Israeli border, and that air force and artillery units were carrying out attacks to support the ground forces.

The military gave no details on how long the operation would last, but said the army had been training and preparing for months.

"A few hours ago, the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) began limited, localised and targeted ground raids," it said. "These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel."

The incursion came shortly after it was approved by Israeli political leaders and marked a new stage in Israel's war against Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militant group.

Local residents in the Lebanese border town of Aita al-Shaab reported heavy shelling and the sound of helicopters and drones overhead.

Earlier, US officials said Israel had launched small ground raids against Hezbollah and sealed off communities along its northern border on Monday as Israeli artillery pounded southern Lebanon.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Israel informed the US about the raids, which he said were described as "limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border".

The sounds of airstrikes were heard throughout Beirut and smoke rose from the capital's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a strong presence, shortly after Israel ordered residents of three buildings to evacuate.

There were no reports of direct clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants, who last engaged in ground combat on Lebanese soil during a month-long war in 2006.

Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire almost every day since the war in Gaza began, displacing tens of thousands of people in Israel and Lebanon.

Israel says it will continue to strike Hezbollah until it is safe for families to return to their homes near the Lebanon border. Hezbollah has promised to keep firing rockets into Israel until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

Hezbollah vowed on Monday to keep fighting even after its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah and other top officials were recently wiped out by Israeli strikes.

The group's acting leader, Naim Qassem, said in a televised statement that if Israel decides to launch a ground offensive, Hezbollah is ready. He said commanders killed in recent weeks have already been replaced.

The man widely expected to take over the top post from Qassem is Hashem Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah who oversees Hezbollah's political affairs.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant earlier told local council heads the next phase of the war along Lebanon's southern border would begin soon, and would support the aim of bringing home Israelis who have fled Hezbollah rockets during nearly a year of border warfare.

"We will use all the means that may be required ? your forces, other forces, from the air, from the sea, and on land. Good luck," he told troops.

Israel last week rejected a proposal by the US and France calling for a 21-day ceasefire to give time for a diplomatic settlement that would allow displaced civilians on both sides to return home.

US President Joe Biden, who has so far had little success urging Israel to rein in its assaults on Hezbollah or on the Hamas militia in Gaza, called for a ceasefire.

"I'm more worried than you might know and I'm comfortable with them stopping," Biden told reporters when asked if he was comfortable with Israeli plans for a cross-border incursion. "We should have a ceasefire now."

The Israeli airstrikes have killed about 1000 civilians and forced one million to flee their homes, according to the Lebanese government.

At least 95 people were killed and 172 wounded in Israeli strikes on Lebanon's southern regions, the eastern Bekaa Valley, and Beirut in the past 24 hours, Lebanon's health ministry said early on Tuesday.

With AP