Israel’s military ground operation in southern Lebanon has been expanded, the country’s defense minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday. Katz did not clarify when the decision to expand operations was taken and did not offer any details on what the expansion entails.

They are areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence and which have been frequently targeted by Israel during its war with the Iran-backed political and military group. Aramoun is a religiously mixed area and until Wednesday it was deemed safe because it had not been hit before.

Israeli officials are insisting on maintaining a capacity to strike Lebanon at any moment as part of conditions to secure a ceasefire with Iran-backed Hezbollah, France's foreign minister said on Wednesday.