JERUSALEM, 1 OCT  

The Israeli military says it is conducting “localised ground raids” on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, after troops crossed the border overnight in a long-anticipated ground operation. The scope of the incursion was unclear and there were no immediate reports of clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters.

In a video statement released to media on Tuesday, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, a military spokesperson, said troops were operating against Hezbollah to ensure that Israeli citizens could return to their homes in the north.

Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel shortly after the outbreak of the war in Gaza. Israel has launched retaliatory airstrikes and the escalating conflict has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes on both sides.

Hagari said a UN Security Council resolution that ended the last Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006 had not been enforced and that southern Lebanon was “swarming with Hezbollah terrorists and weapons”. That resolution called for Hezbollah to withdraw from the area between the border and the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) to the north, and for the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers to patrol the region. Both sides have accused the other of violating different terms of the UN resolution.

UN and Lebanon launch an appeal for USD 426 million in urgent aid

The United Nations and the Lebanese government have launched a USD 426 million flash appeal for urgent humanitarian aid for civilians caught up in the ongoing conflict with Israel. The appeal was launched in Beirut Tuesday by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza.

Mikati said that Lebanon is going through “one of the most dangerous moments in its history”. He said that 1 million people have been displaced as a result “of the destructive war launched by Israel on Lebanon”.

The flash appeal seeks to assist the displaced by addressing urgent needs in areas such as food, basic assistance, shelter, health care, water and municipal services, the UN said. “Without sufficient resources, humanitarians risk leaving the population of an entire country without the support they urgently require,” Riza warned. He added that the no amount of aid can fully address the crisis if civilians continue to be targeted.