TEHRAN - Israel’s military spokesperson Daniel Hagari claimed the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) conducted "limited and targeted raids" across the Lebanese border in what he described as “localized ground raids’’.

Hagari claimed that these ground incursions started in the very early hours of Tuesday up to the morning and targeted Lebanese villages. 

"Heavy fighting is taking place in southern Lebanon," the IOF added. 

However, later in the day, an Israeli security official directly contradicted this statement by saying there have been no clashes at all with Hezbollah inside Lebanon.

Mohammad Afif, a Hezbollah official, stated that "so far, no direct ground clashes have occurred between the resistance fighters and the occupying forces." 

"All claims by the Zionists regarding the entry of occupying forces into Lebanon are false. Hezbollah is ready for direct confrontation with enemy forces that dare to or try to enter Lebanon. Our fighters are ready to confront any enemy forces that dare to enter or intend to enter Lebanese soil," Afif asserted.

It is important to note that there are villages along the Lebanese border that are still occupied by the Israeli military, including parts of the Shebaa Farms.  

Reports in Lebanon also said that despite the IOF announcement of a ground invasion of Lebanon, there has been no confirmation from any on-ground sources of an actual infiltration into Lebanese territory.

A statement by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) warned against a ground invasion but did not confirm the incursions or any clashes between the Israeli military and Hezbollah. 

If there had been any sporadic incursions along the 120-kilometer border, the IOF must have retreated quickly. 

Analysts say Hezbollah fighters have maintained their close proximity to Israeli forces and continue to strike their posts, barracks and positions, which were struck by at least 32 Katyusha rockets on Tuesday in the occupied Lebanese Kfar Chouba hills. 

Should the IOF invade southern Lebanon it may present Hezbollah with the opportunity to change the military equation on the ground, as it did in the Israeli 2006 war on Lebanon. This would also boost Hezbollah’s morale as well as that of its supporters and the environment in Lebanon.  

In his last speech before the announcement of his martyrdom on Saturday, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah told the Israelis "We invite you to come into Lebanon, this is a historic opportunity for us."

According to one military expert familiar with Hezbollah’s defensive and offensive actions, most operations being waged by the Lebanese resistance against the IOF stationed next to the border are being carried out using artillery weapons (mortars and heavy artillery shelling). 

Hezbollah forces would need to be positioned at a distance of three to five kilometers [from Israeli forces] to target IOF positions, he explained. 

This means that the Lebanese resistance is very close to the Israeli forces on the border region and has not retreated an inch, despite the intense Israeli artillery and aerial bombardment. It highlights Hezbollah's readiness to respond and defend their land in case of an invasion. 

In another significant development on Tuesday, Hezbollah bombed the Israeli Glilot base, home to the 8200 military intelligence unit and the Mossad headquarters in the suburbs of Tel Aviv with rocket barrages of Fadi 4 type.

It marks the first time Hezbollah has introduced the Fadi 4 missile into the battlefield. 

Hezbollah’s Afif, who is also chief of the movement’s media office, warned Israel that the strikes on Tel Aviv were "only the beginning".  

Israeli video posts on social media that went viral highlighted the damage inflicted on Tel Aviv, its surrounding areas as well as northern Israel.  

Israeli media reported that 50 operations had been carried out from Lebanon by Tuesday afternoon, targeting central Israel and forcing millions of Israelis into shelters.

Israeli firefighters also struggled to battle a blaze in northern Israel after projectiles were fired from Lebanon, according to the IOF. 

Hezbollah announced that it had started the "Khayber Operations" on Tuesday against Israeli military and intelligence targets. By Tuesday afternoon, the Lebanese resistance published more than 10 detailed statements underscoring the number of operations it had waged against the IOF. 

As the IOF continues to commit further massacres against civilians in Lebanon, Hezbollah has been directing its rocket fire against Israeli military positions.