UNIFIL, Hezbollah, army source say no Israeli ground incursion in south Lebanon

The U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon said Tuesday there was "no ground incursion" going on in the south of the country after Israel said it was carrying out limited raids there.

UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti told AFP there was "no ground incursion right now", after Israel's military said it began "limited, localized and targeted raids" against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah also denied any Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon.

In its first statement since Israel announced the start of ground operations, Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afifi said reports that Israeli forces had entered Lebanon were “false claims.”

He said Hezbollah fighters are ready “to have direct confrontation with enemy forces that dare to or try to enter Lebanon to inflict casualties among them.”

An Israeli military official said the troops were within walking distance of the border, focused on villages hundreds of meters from Israel. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, said there had been no clashes yet with Hezbollah fighters on the ground.

A Lebanese army source also said Tuesday that the force had seen no Israeli ground incursion.

"We have not observed any penetration by Israeli enemy forces into Lebanese territory," the Lebanese army source told AFP, requesting anonymity..