Hezbollah denies ground incursion began: Israel calls for evacuations in Lebanon

Associated Press Jerusalem: The Israeli military on Tuesday announced new restrictions on public gatherings and closed beaches over Hezbollah rocket fire. The new guidelines came after Israel said it had launched a limited ground incursion into Lebanon to combat the militant group. Hezbollah fired a salvo of medium-range rockets into central Israel that wounded one person earlier in the day. The Israeli military on Tuesday warned people to evacuate nearly two dozen Lebanese border communities hours after announcing the start of ground operations against Hezbollah.

The militant group denied Israeli troops had entered Lebanon. It was not immediately clear whether Israeli troops had crossed the border. No photos or video footage has yet emerged showing Israeli ground forces inside Lebanon. Israel advised people to evacuate to the north of the Awali River, some 60 kilometers (36 miles) from the border and much farther than the Litani River, which marks the northern edge of a UN-declared zone that was intended to serve as a buffer between Israel and Hezbollah after their 2006 war. You must immediately head north of the Awali River to save yourselves, and leave your houses immediately, said the statement posted by the Israeli military's Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, on the platform X.

The warning applied to communities south of the Litani. The border region has largely emptied out over the past year as the two sides have traded fire. But the scope of the evacuation warning raised questions as to how deep Israel plans to send its forces into Lebanon as it presses ahead with a rapidly escalating campaign against Hezbollah. Questions over whether Israeli forces entered An Associated Press reporter saw Israeli troops operating near the border in armoured trucks, with helicopters circling overhead, but could not confirm ground forces had crossed into Lebanon. Neither the Lebanese army nor a UN peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL, which patrols southern Lebanon, have confirmed that Israeli forces entered. UNIFIL said any such cross-border operation would be a dangerous development and a violation of Lebanese sovereignty.

In its first statement since Israel announced the start of ground operations, Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif dismissed what he said were false claims of an Israeli incursion. He said Hezbollah is ready for confrontation with enemy forces that dare to or try to enter Lebanon. Israel strikes more targets and Hezbollah fires rockets Israeli artillery units pounded targets in southern Lebanon through the night and the sounds of airstrikes were heard throughout Beirut.