Israel-Lebanon latest: Israel says troops enter Lebanon for ‘limited, targeted’ ground raids on Hezbollah

This Israeli ground offensive has felt almost inevitablepublished at 06:53 British Summer Time

06:53 BST

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in Beirut

Lebanon is waking up to the news that Israel has launched a ground incursion in the south, something that felt almost inevitable in the last few days.

The fear is that this could be the beginning of a wider campaign against Hezbollah, and history shows that it is easy for Israeli troops to enter Lebanon, but difficult for them to leave.

For almost a year, as Hezbollah carried out near-daily cross-border on attacks on Israel, many outside the group’s support base feared the country was being dragged into a conflict that it has not chosen to fight.

Hezbollah is often described as a state within the state here.

It is a heavily armed militia, said to be stronger than the Lebanese army, and a political movement with representation in parliament, and a social movement with significant support.

It is powerful and highly influential.

The Lebanese authorities have little say, if any, over its actions. And many in Lebanon say the group is more interested in defending its own interests, and those of its main supporter, Iran.

The group – described as a terrorist organization in the UK, the US and others in the West – has been weakened by intense Israeli airstrikes and high-profile assassinations, including of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

But it has not been defeated. It remains defiant and has vowed to resist any invasion.

In Lebanon, the authorities say as many as one million people have already been displaced, and more than 1,000 killed in the last two weeks. As the conflict escalates, an already exhausted country is being thrown into an even deeper crisis.