"Hezbollah" denied that Israeli troops had entered Lebanon, but said that the group's fighters were ready for a "direct confrontation" if this happened, the Associated Press reported, citing BTA.
In his first statement since Israel announced the start of its ground operations, the spokesman for "Hezbollah" Mohamed Afif said today that reports that Israeli forces had entered Lebanon were "false claims". He added that the fighters of "Hezbollah" are ready "to enter into a direct confrontation with the enemy forces that dare to try to enter Lebanon and inflict losses on them".
Afif also said that the missiles fired by "Hezbollah" medium-range rockets against central Israel earlier today are "just the beginning".
Meanwhile, the Israeli armed forces ordered the evacuation of almost twenty Lebanese border communities.
The order comes hours after Israel sent ground forces into southern Lebanon as part of what it said was a limited incursion targeting the militant group Hezbollah, the AP said.
The evacuation order, published by the spokesman of the Israeli armed forces in Arabic on social media "Ex", specified that people from about twenty communities in southern Lebanon should evacuate north of the Awali River, about 60 kilometers from the border.
This is further from the Litani River, along which runs the UN-declared zone intended to serve as a buffer between Israel and "Hezbollah" after the 2006 war, AP notes. The Litani River flows through southern Lebanon 30 kilometers from the border with Israel.
The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) condemned Israel's ground offensive and said it violated the country's "sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the country, DPA reported.
The peacekeeping force said in a statement that it had been notified by the Israeli military yesterday of its "intention to launch limited ground incursions into Lebanon".
"Despite this dangerous turn of events, the peacekeeping forces remain in their positions,", the UNIFIL statement also said.
"Any crossing into Lebanese territory constitutes a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as Resolution 1701. We call on all actors to refrain from such escalating actions, which will only lead to more violence and bloodshed,'' the statement concluded. .