‘Hell Is Breaking Loose’: Israel Hints At Lebanon Ground Invasion As Ceasefire Calls Grow |

A proposal for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon was unveiled by France and the United States on Wednesday as the death toll mounted from Israeli strikes against Hezbollah and reports emerged about Tel Aviv’s plans for a potential ground invasion of Lebanon.

Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi on Wednesday told his troops that the “jets flying overhead” towards Lebanon are there to “prepare the ground for your possible entry and to continue degrading Hezbollah.” According to BBC, the IDF is calling up two reserve brigades for “operational missions” in the northern parts of the country and positioning them closer to the Lebanese border. Following are the top updates amid the Israel–Hezbollah crisis:

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• Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed hope that a ceasefire can be reached soon to end fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah that has shaken his country. Mikati welcomed the call for a truce but said the key to its implementation was whether Israel, which has been moving troops closer to Lebanon, is committed to enforcing international resolutions. Asked if a ceasefire could be secured soon, Mikati told Reuters: “Hopefully, yes.” Mikati’s caretaker administration includes ministers chosen by Hezbollah, widely seen as the country’s most powerful political force.
• Temporary ceasefire: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the two Western powers were proposing a “temporary ceasefire” of 21 days “to allow for negotiations.” “It is urgent that all actors engage resolutely on a path of de-escalation,” Barrot told the UNSC during an emergency meeting it held on the Israeli-Hezbollah crisis.
• During the UNSC meeting, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and warned, “Hell is breaking loose.” Guterres urged the Security Council “to work in lock-step” to end the escalating violence between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants across the Blue Line in southern Lebanon.
• “Hell is breaking loose in Lebanon” the UN chief warned, noting that the exchanges of fire along the UN-patrolled line of separation “have expanded in scope, depth and intensity.” Monday saw Lebanon’s bloodiest day in a generation, as Israel continues to bombard largely Hezbollah-controlled territory, doubling down on the devastating electronic device attacks which killed hundreds last week.
• Israel said it welcomed diplomacy on Lebanon but vowed to pursue its goal of degrading Hezbollah. “We are grateful for all those who are making a sincere effort with diplomacy to avoid escalation, to avoid a full war,” Israel’s envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told reporters before entering the session. “We will use all means at our disposal, in accordance with international law, to achieve our aims,” Danon said.
• The violence comes after the failure to reach a ceasefire in Gaza where Israel for nearly a year has been seeking to wipe out Hamas. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Tehran, which in recent weeks has held back on retaliatory strikes on Israel after attacks targeting Iranian interests, may no longer be restrained.
• “The region is on the brink of a full-scale catastrophe. If unchecked, the world will face catastrophic consequences,” he told reporters. Israel went ahead with the offensive in Lebanon despite repeated appeals by the United States to avoid a wider war. “Risk of escalation in the region is acute,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has made 10 trips to the Middle East since Hamas carried out the deadliest attack ever on Israel on October 7, 2023.
• Indian Embassy In Lebanon: Amid escalating violence in the region, the Indian Embassy in Beirut on Wednesday urged its nationals to leave Lebanon and warned them against travelling to the Arab state. It also advised Indians to exercise “extreme caution” while remaining in the country, which is on the brink of an all-out war with Israel.
• “All Indian nationals already in Lebanon are also strongly advised to leave Lebanon. Those who remain for any reason are advised to exercise extreme caution, restrict their movements, and remain in contact with the Embassy of India in Beirut through our email ID: cons.beirut@mea.gov.in or the emergency phone number +96176860128,” the embassy said in a social media post on X.
• Since mid-September, there has been a dizzying escalation in the nearly yearlong conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. First came two days of exploding pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah — attacks pinned on Israel that killed at least 39 people and maimed thousands more.
• Hezbollah’s leader vowed to retaliate, and on Sept. 20 the militant group launched a wave of rockets into northern Israel. Since then, both sides have fired dozens of rockets on a daily basis, forcing hundreds of thousands of Israelis in the north to huddle in air raid shelters, and prompting tens of thousands of people to flee their homes in parts of southern Lebanon where Hezbollah has a strong presence.
• The United Nations said more than 90,000 Lebanese people have been displaced in recent days. Lebanon said Israeli strikes Monday killed more than 560 Lebanese and injured almost 2,000. Several Hezbollah leaders have been targeted in the attacks, including the commander of its most elite unit who was killed in a strike in Beirut.
• A new Israel-Hezbollah war could be even worse than the one in 2006, which was traumatic enough to serve as a deterrent for both sides ever since. That fighting killed hundreds of Hezbollah fighters and an estimated 1,100 Lebanese civilians, and left large swaths of the south and parts of Beirut in ruins. More than 120 Israeli soldiers were killed and hundreds wounded.

(With agency inputs)