News - Israel army says its troops will not enter Beirut, other major Lebanon cities

Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that IDF troops will not be entering Beirut or any major cities in Lebanon, and said Israel’s ground operation in its northern neighbor will be as brief as possible, reports The Times of Israel. Speaking in English after a similar briefing in Hebrew to reporters, Hagari said that Israeli forces “are not going to Beirut.” "We’re not going to the cities in southern Lebanon. We are focusing in the area of those villages, the area next to our border. We will do in this area what is necessary to dismantle and demolish Hezbollah’s infrastructure," he said. Asked how long the ground operations are likely to continue, Hagari said that “I will not reveal to the enemy, but we are doing it as short as we can, days, weeks… We will do the necessary thing, the limited and local operation that we are conducting now.” Hagari said that “in order to enable all 60,000 Israelis to safely return back to their homes in northern Israel, the IDF is taking action,” and has already been carrying out limited cross-border excursions for a period of many months.