Israel-Gaza-Lebanon updates: IDF claims Hezbollah was planning 'invasion' of Israel

Hezbollah disputes Israel's incursion claims

Israeli claims that its soldiers began ground operations inside southern Lebanon "are false," Hezbollah said in a Tuesday statement.

"No direct ground clashes have yet taken place between the resistance fighters and the occupation forces," the group said, referring to Israeli troops.

"The resistance fighters are ready for a direct confrontation with the enemy forces that dare or attempt to enter Lebanese territory and inflict the greatest losses on them."

-ABC News' Joe Simonetti and Ghazi Balkiz

IDF orders evacuation of south Lebanese villages

Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee -- the Israel Defense Forces' spokesperson for Arab media -- ordered residents of nearly two dozen villages to "immediately" evacuate their homes amid Israel's claimed ground campaign into southern Lebanon.

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Arnoun on Oct. 1, 2024.

-/AFP via Getty Images

"The IDF does not want to harm you, and for your own safety you must evacuate your homes immediately," Adraee said in a statement posted to social media.

"Anyone who is near Hezbollah members, installations and combat equipment is putting his life in danger. Any home used by Hezbollah for its military needs is expected to be targeted."

Adraee ordered civilians to move north of the Awali River. "Be careful, you are not allowed to go south," he said. "Going south could put your life in danger. We will let you know when it is safe to return home."

-ABC News' Ghazi Balkiz

Beirut not a target of Israeli ground incursion, official says

The Israel Defense Forces' operation in southern Lebanon is occurring "right by the border" with no intention of pushing towards the capital Beirut, an Israeli security official said during a Tuesday briefing.

The IDF has three goals, the official said.

Smoke billows from the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 1, 2024.

Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images

The first is to remove the threat of cross-border fire at Israeli citizens, they said. The second is to target senior militant leaders planning such attacks, the official added.

The third goal is to create a situation in which tens of thousands of displaced Israelis can return to their homes in the north of the country.

"We're talking about limited, localized, targeted rates based on precise intelligence in areas near the border," the official said when asked about the scope of the operation.

Beirut, they added, is not on the table. Airstrikes are supporting the ground incursion in the south and continuing elsewhere, the official said.

"We're talking about Hezbollah embedding itself in the Lebanese villages, right by the border," they said.

"We're operating at the moment according to the mission we received from the political echelon. We're acting in a limited area that is focusing on the villages right by the border," they explained.

-ABC News' Ian Pannell and Dana Savir

IDF claims Hezbollah was planning 'invasion' of Israel

Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Israeli troops were engaged in "limited and targeted raids" in southern Lebanon as of Tuesday morning, alleging that Hezbollah was planning "an Oct. 7-style invasion" into Israeli homes.

Smoke rises from the site of Israeli artillery shelling of the southern Lebanese villages of Adeisseh and Kfar Kila on Oct. 1, 2024.

-/AFP via Getty Images

"Hezbollah turned Lebanese villages next to Israeli villages into military bases," ​​Hagari said. "Hezbollah planned to invade Israel, attack Israeli communities and massacre innocent men, women and children."

"I want to make it clear: our war is with Hezbollah, not with the people of Lebanon," Hagari continued. "We do not want to harm Lebanese civilians, and we're taking measures to prevent that."

More than 700 people were killed by an intensified Israeli airstrike campaign across Lebanon last week. Lebanon's Health Ministry reported 95 people killed and 172 people by strikes on Monday. Israeli bombing continued overnight into Tuesday morning, including in the capital Beirut.

-ABC News' Joe Simonetti, Somayeh Malekian and Ellie Kaufman