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Israel says it is preparing for a ground invasion into southern Lebanon. That's as it has conducted thousands of deadly airstrikes in Lebanon in recent days, whle Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets at Israel. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf has more from Haifa in northern Israel.
KAT LONSDORF, BYLINE: Israel called upon two additional brigades of reservists for its northern operations earlier today - not a particularly easy order, as Israel's military reserves are already exhausted after a nearly yearlong war in Gaza. In a speech to Israeli troops in the north, military chief of staff Herzi Halevi said that their goal right now was to allow for tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to safely return to their homes in the north.
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HERZI HALEVI: (Speaking Hebrew).
LONSDORF: "To achieve that," he said, "we are preparing for a maneuver, which means your combat boots will enter enemy territory."
It's some of the strongest and most direct language from Israeli officials yet about a ground invasion into southern Lebanon in an attempt to push Hezbollah back significantly from Israel's northern border. Israel and Lebanon began trading fire last October, after the Hamas-led attack on Israel sparked the current war in Gaza. Up until now, Israel has mainly been conducting airstrikes in Lebanon. Today alone, Israel says it struck more than 280 Hezbollah targets there, while Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel, including a long-range missile toward Tel Aviv.
Two people in Israel were severely injured when a rocket fell on a home in the north. In Lebanon, nearly 600 people have been killed and more than 1,800 wounded by Israeli airstrikes in recent days. Meanwhile, the United Nations General Assembly is meeting in New York, and the topic of de-escalation in the Middle East has dominated much of the conversation.
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ANTONIO GUTERRES: Lebanon is at the brink.
LONSDORF: Warned U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
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GUTERRES: The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel and the people of the world cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza.
LONSDORF: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has said Israel will take whatever action is necessary against Hezbollah, is expected to speak at the U.N. on Friday.
Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Haifa.
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