The Israeli army has announced that it has begun the ground invasion of Lebanon but has specified that it is a "limited" operation, according to information released by the Tel Aviv military on social media.
"We have launched limited and selective ground operations against key Hizbullah strongholds in southern Lebanon, with the aim of reinforcing the forward defense zone," read the statement from spokesperson Avichay Adraee.
The same spokesperson indicated that the offensive was preceded by a heavy artillery and air bombardment.
The Lebanese newspaper L'Orient Le Jour reported that Israeli aircraft and cannons had struck nearly fifty villages in the region closest to the neighboring country.
According to Ynet, Israeli forces have advanced to "a distance of between 7 and 9 kilometers" with the aim of establishing a "security" zone along their border.
Israel's attempt to advance in the border area led to violent clashes on Sunday with Hizbullah militants in the city of Jiam, where paramilitaries under Naim Qassen reportedly engaged in close combat.
The so-called Party of God stated that its followers responded to the Israeli advancement attempt with missiles and mortars against "soldier concentrations" in the Al Adisa and Taibe area, "destroying" several Merkava tanks, as reported in the Al Akhbar newspaper, close to the armed group.
So far, the Israelis had not been able to make significant progress in the border area, and Israeli media themselves leaked statements from army members expressing surprise at Hizbullah's response, whose capabilities they considered much diminished.
The Shiite irregulars have continued to launch dozens of missiles each day against Israeli enclaves, targeting Kiryat Shmona, Nahariya. Hizbullah also claimed an attack on a military base further inside Israel, near Tel Aviv.
The mentioned Ynet reported that a senior military official in northern Israel recently assured his followers that the war in Lebanon could extend until the end of May, although other leaks have pointed to possible direct negotiations between the governments of both countries to try to end the conflict in exchange for establishing diplomatic relations between the Arab country and Israel.