Israel deploys troops to northern border amid concerns of possible ground offensive in Lebanon

Israel has deployed troops to its northern border, after the Israeli military announced earlier in the week that it was gearing up for a possible ground offensive in Lebanon.

The move comes a day after Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, was killed in Israeli strikes on Beirut. Iran’s Supreme leader has warned that his death will ‘not go unavenged’.

This week saw a sharp escalation in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, with Israeli strikes on Lebanon killing hundreds. In Beirut, hundreds of families are sleeping in the streets as a result of the strikes.

The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has long voiced concern about the fighting, warning that the world ‘cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza’.

Israel says its campaign seeks to ensure the safe return of tens of thousands of residents to northern Israel, who were forced from their homes as a result of Hezbollah rocket attacks. Earlier in the month, Israel made returning these residents to the north of the country an official war goal.

The Lebanese militant group says its actions are in solidarity with Palestinians, and that it will not stop exchanging fire with Israel until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.