Israel to expand ground and air attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon

The Israeli military says plans for the expansion of ground and air attacks against the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah have been approved, amid fears in Lebanon that Israel is preparing a large-scale ground invasion of the country. Israel has intensified its campaign against Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia and political party, after the group fired rockets into Israel earlier this month amid the war between the US and Israel against Iran. Since then, more than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese health ministry, including at least 118 children and 40 health workers. More than a million people have been displaced, which could lead to a major humanitarian crisis. Israeli officials say the aim is to protect communities in northern Israel from Hezbollah attacks. On Sunday, the Israeli military said the chief of the general staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, had approved plans "to advance the targeted ground operations and strikes" against Hezbollah, and that this would be a "prolonged operation". This followed a statement by the defence minister, Israel Katz, who said Israeli forces had been instructed to destroy the crossings over the Litani river that were