Israel army says began operations against Hezbollah in southwest Lebanon

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had launched targeted raids against Hezbollah in southwest Lebanon, expanding its ground operations along the country's coastline after deploying more troops.

"Yesterday (Monday), the 146th Division began limited, localized, targeted operational activities against Hezbollah terror targets and infrastructure in southwestern Lebanon," the military said in a statement on its Telegram channel.

The announcement came a day after the Israeli military warned residents to evacuate from over a dozen towns and villages in southwestern Lebanon, including the coastal town of Naqoura, where U.N. peacekeepers are headquartered.

The Israeli army declared on Monday night four areas "closed military zone" in Israel's northwest, following the call to evacuate the nearby Lebanese coastline.

"Following a situational assessment, the areas of Rosh HaNikra, Shlomi, Hanita, and Arab al-Aramshe in northern Israel will be declared a closed military zone as of 22:00 today. Entry to this area is prohibited," the army said.

Israel has called on people to evacuate several dozen communities across southern Lebanon, many of them north of a U.N.-declared buffer zone established after the Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006.

Israel says its operations are aimed at halting a year of Hezbollah rocket attacks so that tens of thousands of its citizens can return to their homes in the north. Hezbollah has vowed to keep up the attacks until there is a cease-fire in Gaza.

The fighting, which escalated in mid-September, has displaced over 1 million Lebanese.