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Israel calls for evacuations in Lebanon as Hezbollah denies ground incursion began

Hezbollah denies Israeli troops have entered Lebanon but says its fighters are ready for a direct confrontation

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Smoke rises from Israeli artillery shelling on the southern Lebanon villages of Adeisseh and Kfar Kila along the border with Israel. Photo: AFP

Israel said commando and paratroop units launched raids into Lebanon on Tuesday as part of a “limited” ground incursion, while Iran-backed Hezbollah said it had fired a barrage of missiles into Israel, including at its spy agency near Tel Aviv.

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The raids by Israeli troops in southern Lebanon that began overnight were limited and went only a short distance over the border, an Israeli security official said on Tuesday, adding that no direct clashes with Hezbollah fighters were reported.

The escalation caused alarm.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Israel should avoid a repeat of the past and not get “bogged down in a quagmire” in Lebanon.

Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Israel should stop conducting ground raids in southern Lebanon to avoid an escalation of the conflict enveloping the wider region.

Hezbollah has challenged Israel since the group was created in Lebanon by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982.

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