Israel forces 'currently operating inside Lebanon' after killing hundreds, decapitating Hezbollah

Israel is "currently conducting" limited ground operations targeting Hezbollah inside neighboring Lebanon, the US State Department said Monday.

"This is what they have informed us that they are currently conducting, which are limited operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure near the border," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told journalists.

Israel had warned Monday that it could send in troops to fight Hezbollah, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant saying near the Lebanese border: "We will use all the means that may be required... from the air, from the sea, and on land."

His remarks came on the same day that Israel's military declared parts of its northern border with Lebanon to be a closed zone.

Hezbollah began low-intensity strikes on Israeli troops a day after its Palestinian ally Hamas staged its unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, which triggered war in the Gaza Strip.

The border clashes have rapidly escalated this month, with Israel conducting extensive strikes at both the border and further inside Lebanon, killing hundreds -- including Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

Lebanese army 'moving away'

Lebanon's army is meanwhile moving troops away from its southern border, a Lebanese military official told AFP Monday, after the US announcement Israel is conducting limited ground operations inside Lebanon.

The Lebanese army is "repositioning and regrouping forces" from the southern border, the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar television channel reported "Zionist artillery shelling" near the border areas of Wazzani, the Khiam valley, Alma Al-Shaab and Naqura.

Wazzani and Khiam are right across from Metula in the north of Israel, where the military on Monday declared a closed military zone including Metula, Misgav Am, and Kfar Giladi.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported "continued artillery shelling" on Wazzani and the nearby Marjayoun plain and Khiam "for more than two hours".

Last Friday, the Israeli army killed Hezbollah's powerful leader Hassan Nasrallah in a strike on the group's southern Beirut bastion.

For the past week, Israel has launched an intense bombing campaign on the country's east, south and southern Beirut suburbs, killing hundreds of people and displacing up to one million.