In Lebanon, people worry Israel is seeking to isolate the south to create a buffer zonepublished at 20:41 GMT
Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in Beirut
Image source, EPAThe Israeli military says plans for the expansion of ground and air attacks against the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah have been approved, amid fears in Lebanon that Israel is preparing a large-scale ground invasion of the country.
Israel has intensified its campaign against Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia and political party, after the group fired rockets into Israel earlier this month amid the war between the US and Israel against Iran.
Since then, more than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese health ministry, including at least 118 children and 40 health workers.
More than a million people have been displaced, which could lead to a major humanitarian crisis.
News of the expanded operation came after a statement by the defence minister, Israel Katz, who said Israeli forces had been instructed to destroy the crossings over the Litani river that were being used by Hezbollah to send reinforcements.
The river is about 30km (19 miles) from the Lebanon-Israel border, and the bridges are also used by civilians.
In Lebanon, many worry that Israel is planning to isolate the south – the heartland of the Shia community and of Hezbollah – from the rest of the country ahead of an operation to occupy some areas and create a so-called buffer zone.
Lebanon’s government has vowed to disarm Hezbollah, which was created in the 1980s in response to Israel’s occupation of Lebanon during the 15-year Lebanese civil war. But, so far, the group has refused to discuss the future of its weapons.
President Aoun, a former army chief, had ruled out using force, warning that this could exacerbate sectarian divisions and lead to violence.
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