The new division was deployed in the western part of the region, with Israeli troops already operating in the east and central areas of southern Lebanon.
Israel launched its ground offensive in Lebanon earlier this month with the stated goal of crippling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure along the border and allowing Israeli residents displaced by the Iran-backed militant group’s missile strikes to return to their homes.
The IDF described its ground operations on Oct. 1 as “limited, localised and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence” against Hezbollah, though that offensive has now expanded over the past week.
Israel’s cross-border incursion marked a new phase in the war following waves of airstrikes on Beirut and elsewhere in Lebanon that killed hundreds, including the militant group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Israel has also spent the last year fighting against Hamas in Gaza, killing at least 40,000 people and leaving the coastal enclave in ruins.