Israel Sends Troops Into Lebanon, Escalating Fight Against Hezbollah

First big incursion in two decades fans fears of wider regional war.

Israel launched a ground operation in Lebanon, sharply escalating its offensive against the militant group Hezbollah days after killing its top leader in an airstrike in Beirut and heightening concerns of a wider war.

Israeli said Tuesday morning that it launched a limited operation in a number of villages in southern Lebanon near the border to attack Hezbollah targets and infrastructure. Those targets “pose an immediate and real threat to Israeli settlements on the northern border,” the military said.