Israeli military says armoured division deployed in Lebanon prepares for Gaza ground operations
Jerusalem: Israel’s military has said that an armoured division previously deployed in Lebanon is now preparing for ground operations in the Gaza Strip, signalling a possible further expansion of its ongoing air and ground offensive.
In a statement on Sunday, the military said the 36th Division has begun preparations for operations in Gaza “following a situational assessment”.
Video footage released by the military showed about two dozen armoured personnel carriers being deployed near the Gaza border, Xinhua news agency reported.
According to the statement, the 36th Division has completed its operations in Lebanon.
The potential reinforcement came as Israel resumed strikes in Gaza on Tuesday after a ceasefire with Hamas that began on January 19 unraveled.
Israeli forces subsequently launched ground operations across southern, northern, and central Gaza.
Also on Sunday, Israel’s military and Shin Bet domestic security agency said in a joint statement that they had killed Ahmad Salman ‘Awj Shimali, deputy commander of Hamas’ Gaza Brigade, who was responsible for operations, strategy planning, and forces building ahead of the October 7 attack.
Jamil Omar Jamil Wadiya, commander of Hamas’ Shuja’iyya Battalion, was also killed, the statement said. They were the latest in a string of senior Hamas figures targeted by Israel.
The Israeli assault on Gaza has killed at least 50,021 people and injured 113,274 others since fighting erupted in early October 2023, according to an update from Gaza-based health authorities.
Earlier, Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with an Israeli infantry force trying to infiltrate the town of Odaisseh in southern Lebanon, marking the first direct clash between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces since Israel announced the invasion.
The Lebanese group said it inflicted losses and forced Israeli forces to retreat.
Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza last October.
Israel says the operation’s goal is to allow nearly 60,000 displaced people to return to their homes across northern Israel after a year of simmering cross-border fighting.
Hezbollah began firing on Israel in solidarity with its Palestinian allies a day after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the new war in Gaza and now threatens to drag in Iran and the US.