Egypt Criticizes Israel’s ‘Serious Escalation’ in Lebanon

 Smoke billows after an Israeli Air Force air strike on a village in southern Lebanon, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from northern Israel October 1, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke billows after an Israeli Air Force air strike on a village in southern Lebanon, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from northern Israel October 1, 2024. (Reuters)
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Egypt Criticizes Israel’s ‘Serious Escalation’ in Lebanon

 Smoke billows after an Israeli Air Force air strike on a village in southern Lebanon, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from northern Israel October 1, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke billows after an Israeli Air Force air strike on a village in southern Lebanon, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from northern Israel October 1, 2024. (Reuters)

Egypt’s top diplomat on Tuesday deplored Israel’s “serious escalation” in southern Lebanon, after the Israeli military said it launched a “limited and focused” ground incursion.

Foreign Minister Badr Abdelaty warned that Israel’s escalation threatens to inflame the entire region “in a way that will lead to dire security and humanitarian consequences,” according to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Abdelaty also said Egypt will reject any attempts to establish a new status quo that violates Lebanon’s sovereignty.



Hezbollah Says it Repelled Israeli Forces Infiltrating Adaisseh

A picture taken from a position in Israel by the border with southern Lebanon shows a fire in the area of the Lebanese village of Adaisseh during Israeli bombardment on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
A picture taken from a position in Israel by the border with southern Lebanon shows a fire in the area of the Lebanese village of Adaisseh during Israeli bombardment on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
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Hezbollah Says it Repelled Israeli Forces Infiltrating Adaisseh

A picture taken from a position in Israel by the border with southern Lebanon shows a fire in the area of the Lebanese village of Adaisseh during Israeli bombardment on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
A picture taken from a position in Israel by the border with southern Lebanon shows a fire in the area of the Lebanese village of Adaisseh during Israeli bombardment on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)

Hezbollah said it confronted Israeli forces infiltrating the Lebanese town of Adaisseh early on Wednesday, and forced them to retreat.

The military says that Israeli troops entered Lebanon late Monday, though it was not clear whether they remained inside or were moving in and out of the country.

In a surprise announcement, Israel said Tuesday that its ground forces have been operating covertly in Lebanon for the last year, carrying out dozens of small ground operations. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the army's spokesman, said the current raid is an expansion of these activities.

The Lebanese army and UNIFIL, a UN peacekeeping force stationed in southern Lebanon, have not confirmed that Israeli troops crossed the border, although UNIFIL said it was notified that they were going to.

A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity under briefing guidelines, said Israeli ground troops were “within walking distance” of the border, targeting the small Lebanese villages hundreds of meters from Israeli territory.

The military says Hezbollah fighters remain in the area, despite heavy Israeli bombardment over the past few weeks. It says they are using the areas to launch attacks on Israel and to store weapons.