Israel sent soldiers into southern Lebanon, intensifying its weeks-long campaign to severely weaken the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group and raising the risks of a wider regional conflict.

“Hizbullah planned to invade Israel, attack Israeli communities and massacre innocent men, women and children. They called this plan, ‘Conquer the Galilee.’ If Lebanon and the world can’t push Hizbullah away from our border, we have no choice but to do it ourselves,” he said.

Israel said the incursion would be focused on the narrow strip of land just across the border. But it also issued evacuation warnings covering a wider swath of Lebanon, raising fears that a large-scale ground invasion was soon to come.

The Israeli military has warned several southern Lebanese communities near the border to leave their homes shortly after starting what it called a limited operation against Hezbollah targets

The ground invasion represents an escalating conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Iran-backed militants.