The Israeli military on Tuesday said it had begun a "limited, localized" operation against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, opening a new front in its war against the Lebanese group.

In a brief announcement, it said it was striking Hezbollah targets in areas close to the Israeli border, and that air force and artillery units were carrying out attacks to support the ground forces. It gave no details on how long the operation would last, but said the army had been training and preparing for months.