The Israeli military launched small ground raids against Hezbollah and sealed off communities in the north on Monday as Israeli artillery pounded southern Lebanon with more than 100 IDF vehicles including tanks massed at the border.

Israel has since issued immediate evacuations orders for civilians living within 500 meters of three buildings in the Dahieh district of southern Beirut.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Israel informed the US about special forces raids into Lebanon. Israel described them as “limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border,” per Miller.

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

But a Western diplomat in Cairo whose country is directly involved in de-escalation efforts said an Israeli ground operation in Lebanon is “imminent.” The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, said Israel had shared its plans with the US and other Western allies, and conveyed the operation will “be limited.”

Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged fire daily since the war began in Gaza on October 7 last year, although not to the extent that is currently occurring. The escalation has stoked fears of a broader conflict that could devastate the Middle East.

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