Israel 'currently conducting' limited operations inside Lebanon

Israel is "currently conducting" limited ground operations targeting Hezbollah inside Lebanon, the U.S. State Department said Monday.

"This is what they have informed us that they are currently conducting, which are limited operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure near the border," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told journalists.

Israel had warned Monday that it could send in troops to fight Hezbollah, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant saying near the Lebanese border: "We will use all the means that may be required... from the air, from the sea, and on land."

His remarks came on the same day that Israel's military declared parts of its northern border with Lebanon to be a closed zone.

Hezbollah began low-intensity strikes on Israeli troops a day after its Palestinian ally Hamas staged its unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, which triggered war in the Gaza Strip.

The border clashes have rapidly escalated this month, with Israel conducting extensive strikes at both the border and further inside Lebanon, killing hundreds -- including Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

Two officials said Israel has launched Monday small, precision raids across the border and that a larger ground operation is being planned, while Israeli artillery heavily shelled southern Lebanese villages along the border.