US officials have said that Israel has informed the US that it intends to conduct a limited ground intervention in Lebanon.

Earlier, an official told the BBC’s US partner CBS that the operation could begin as early as Monday.

Israeli Defense Minister Yves Gallant had earlier signaled that the military was ready for ground action, telling troops near the Lebanese border that Israel would use forces “from the air, sea and land” to target Hezbollah. ready for

Hezbollah’s deputy leader said the group is ready for any Israeli action inside Lebanon.

The head of the United Nations and the head of the European Union’s foreign policy have called for international restraint to avoid any ground intervention by Israel.

The Lebanese army is withdrawing troops stationed on its southern border at least 5 kilometers (3 miles) north, according to Reuters, citing Lebanese security sources.

Gallant told Israeli soldiers at the border that Israel’s military would use “all means at our disposal” to allow displaced people in the north of the country to return to their homes.

In a short video, he said Friday’s “elimination” of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut was a very important step, but not everything.

He added that “everything that needs to be done – will be done” and that “we will use all forces from the air, sea and land”.

Several explosions were heard in the capital Beirut late on Monday.

They come after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) ordered the “immediate” evacuation of three areas of south Beirut on Monday evening.

In a post on social media, IDF Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee said: “You are located close to terrorist Hezbollah interests and facilities, so the IDF will take forceful action against them.”

The New York Times previously reported that Israeli commando units had already made brief incursions into Lebanese territory in preparation for a possible wider attack.

The mayor of Jadid Marjaoun, a Christian-majority Lebanese village less than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the border, told Reuters on Monday that two locals apparently received a call from the Israeli army saying That they vacate the area as soon as possible.

Hezbollah’s deputy head, Sheikh Naim Qasim, said it was ready for an Israeli ground attack. He described the group’s attacks on Israel as “minimal” so far, adding that the war could be prolonged.

EU member states have called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. “Further military intervention would dramatically worsen the situation and must be avoided,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.

The Secretary General’s spokesman said that UN chief Antonio Guterres does not want to see any kind of ground attack on Lebanon by Israel.

On Monday, US President Joe Biden said that “we must have a ceasefire now”.

Asked if he was comfortable with Israeli plans for cross-border infiltration, Biden told reporters, “I’m more than aware of your knowledge and I’m satisfied that they’re stopping.”

“The best way forward is an immediate ceasefire,” British Foreign Secretary David Lemmy told reporters.

Meanwhile, both Israel and Hamas have confirmed the death of Fatah Sharif Abul Amin, the head of Hamas in Lebanon, in Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.

Israel’s military said Sharif was “responsible for coordinating Hamas terrorist activities in Lebanon with Hezbollah operatives”.

Three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) were killed in another Israeli attack in the central Beirut neighborhood of Kola early Monday, the Palestinian armed group said in a statement.

The statement names the dead as Military Security Chief Muhammad Abdul Al, Military Commander Imad Odia and militant Abdul Rahman Abdul Al.

Janane Saad, director of communications for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Lebanon, told the BBC that “we don’t really know where is safe or not” after the strike in the Kola neighborhood.

“What is safe today may not be safe an hour or tomorrow,” he said.

Israeli jets also attacked the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah in Yemen on Sunday, resulting in a massive explosion.

Earlier sporadic cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah escalated on October 8, 2023 – a day after a rare attack on Israel by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip – when Hezbollah attacked Israeli positions in solidarity with the Palestinians. fired at

However, things have escalated dramatically in recent weeks.

Hezbollah has suffered mass casualties from exploding pagers and walkie-talkies, a spate of assassinations of Hezbollah military commanders, devastating airstrikes that have killed civilians – and the use of bombs that destroyed bunkers in Beirut. had to do, in which Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed on Friday.

Lebanese authorities say more than 1,000 people have been killed in the past two weeks, while up to a million may now be displaced.