Israel president says Europe should back fight against Hezbollah as troops operate in Lebanon
Israel's President Isaac Herzog said on Monday that Europe should back his country's fight against Hezbollah, as Israeli forces carried out ground operations in Lebanon.
Lebanon's government said more than one million people have been displaced in two weeks of fighting, while Israel's defence minister warned that those who left their homes in Lebanon could not return until northern Israel was secure.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2 when Tehran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.
Israel has responded with broad air raids on its northern neighbour and troop incursions into border areas.
In an exclusive interview, Herzog told AFP that "Europe should support any effort, any effort, to eradicate Hezbollah now".
The head of state, whose role is mainly ceremonial, however welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron's offer to host direct talks between Lebanon and Israel.
"Talks are very important, because it's about time we have an opportunity of moving forward with Lebanon."
His statements came after the Israeli military said that in recent days its troops "have begun limited and targeted ground operations against key Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon".
"This activity is part of broader defensive efforts" and includes "the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the elimination of terrorists... in order to remove threats and create an additional layer of security for residents of northern Israel," it said.
The ground operations were preceded by air and artillery strikes, it added.
The announcement echoes similar statements issued in 2024, when Israel and Hezbollah fought a major war in Lebanon, and in 2023, when the military launched a ground assault in Gaza in response to Hamas's October 7 attacks.
In a later statement, Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir said his army killed "more than 400 terrorists" in their latest war with Hezbollah.
- Nahariya -
Hezbollah said it launched rockets and attack drones at the northern Israeli city of Nahariya on Monday.
Israel's Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency responders said paramedics were treating a man "in mild to moderate condition suffering from blast injuries" and six other people for smoke inhalation.
Military sources quoted by Israel's public broadcaster KAN said the impact was caused by a rocket, while MDA paramedic Yonatan Avilea said the strike hit between two buildings, sparking a blaze.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported strikes on Lebanon's south, while Beirut said Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed 886 people, including 111 children.
More than one million people have registered as displaced, with 132,000 of them staying in collective shelters.
Turkey condemned the Israeli ground operation, saying it was "worsening instability in the region" and warning of "another humanitarian catastrophe" in the Middle East.
In a joint statement, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom warned that "a significant Israeli ground offensive would have devastating humanitarian consequences and could lead to a protracted conflict".
Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said Hezbollah was "intending to expand their operations... and firing hundreds of rockets a day" toward Israel.
"They have also sent hundreds of Radwan terrorists to the south (of Lebanon)," he added, referring to Hezbollah's elite unit.
"Those are new locations that our troops were not operating in yesterday," he said, adding that "we'll operate for as much as we need".
- No north Israel evacuations -
In recent days, Hezbollah and Iran have launched coordinated rocket and missile attacks against Israel.
Hezbollah has also reported targeting Israeli forces on the border with Lebanon and in several frontier towns, including "direct clashes" in Khiam, located across from north Israel's Metula.
Hezbollah has repeatedly announced targeting Israeli forces and vehicles inside Khiam, which was the first point into which Israeli forces advanced after the war began.
In separate statements on Monday, Hezbollah said that it targeted Israeli troops and vehicles in several Lebanese border towns, including Khiam.
An AFP photographer on Monday saw smoke billowing from the town after Israeli bombardment.
Israel preceded its ground operations with strikes on some bridges and roads connecting south Lebanon to the rest of the country.
Since the war began, the Israeli military has issued sweeping evacuation warnings for southern Lebanon, extending more than 40 kilometres (around 25 miles) from its border.
Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that displaced Lebanese should not return home "south of the Litani area until the safety of residents in the north (of Israel) is guaranteed".
The Israeli military has repeatedly said it would not evacuate people from its north, unlike the previous hostilities with Hezbollah which a November 2024 ceasefire sought to end.
burs-lba-jd/lg/nad/dc/giv
C.M.Diaz--ESF
