WASHINGTON: Israel is “currently conducting” limited ground operations targeting Hezbollah inside neighboring Lebanon, the US State Department said on Monday.

“This is what they have informed us that they are currently conducting, which are limited operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure near the border,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told journalists.

Israel had warned on Monday that it could send in troops to fight Hezbollah, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant saying near the Lebanese border: “We will use all the means that may be required… from the air, from the sea, and on land.”

Israel says ‘more than 20’ Hezbollah members killed alongside Nasrallah

His remarks came on the same day that Israel’s military declared parts of its northern border with Lebanon to be a closed zone.

Hezbollah began low-intensity strikes on Israeli troops a day after its Palestinian ally Hamas staged its unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7.

The border clashes have rapidly escalated this month, with Israel conducting extensive strikes at both the border and further inside Lebanon, killing hundreds – including Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.