Israeli Army Massing on Lebanese Border
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BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) – Israel massed tanks and troops on the border, called up reserves and warned civilians to flee Hezbollah-controlled southern Lebanon as it prepared Friday for a likely ground invasion.
The Israeli army confirmed some of its troops have been operating in Lebanon for days although no major incursion has been launched.
An official from the U.N. monitoring force in south Lebanon, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press, told The Associated Press in Beirut that between 300 and 500 troops are believed to be in the western sector of the border, backed by as many as 30 tanks.
Israeli forces would conduct ground operations as needed in Lebanon, but they would be “limited,” Israeli army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz said. He also said nearly 100 Hezbollah guerrillas have been killed in the offensive in Lebanon.
