JERUSALEM/BEIRUT — The Israeli military said on Wednesday that regular infantry and armored units were joining ground operations in southern Lebanon, stepping up pressure on Hezbollah, as Israel prepared to retaliate against a barrage of Iranian missile strikes.

Already battling Hamas in Gaza, Israel is beefing up its presence in south Lebanon in its conflict with Hezbollah a day after it was attacked by Iran, raising fears the oil-producing Middle East could be engulfed in a wider conflict.

Hezbollah said its fighters were engaging Israeli forces inside Lebanon on Wednesday, reporting ground clashes for the first time since Israel began pushing into its northern neighbor in a campaign to hammer the Iran-backed armed group.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned what he called “escalation after escalation,” saying: “This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire.”

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also called for an immediate regional ceasefire. “The dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliation risks … spiraling out of control,” he posted on X.

Iran exercised “self-defense” against Israel and its action is concluded unless the “Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a post on social media platform X early on Wednesday.

Tehran launched a salvo of missiles on Tuesday against Israel in retaliation for the killing of several leaders of Iran-aligned armed groups.

Araqchi said Washington was told by Tehran not to interfere following its attack on Israel.

“Message exchanges do not mean coordination. No message was sent prior to our response (to Israel). After this response, a warning was conveyed via Switzerland telling Americans that it was our right to self-defense and that we do not intend to continue (the attack),” Araqchi said according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The Iranian foreign minister said Iran’s action against Israel came after exercising tremendous restraint to give space for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Our action is concluded unless the Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation. In that scenario, our response will be stronger and more powerful,” Araqchi added.

Iran’s foreign ministry called earlier on the United Nations Security Council to take “meaningful action” to prevent threats against regional peace and security.

“I am optimistic about future days. There is a possibility of conflict but our forces are fully prepared. We expect to gradually witness stability in our region over the coming days,” the Iranian foreign minister said according to Tasnim.

The Israeli military said an Israeli team commander was killed in Lebanon. A Lebanese soldier was injured in an Israeli drone strike on southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army said in a statement.

Iran said on Wednesday the attack – its biggest assault on Israel – was over barring further provocation, but Israel and the United States promised to hit back hard.

Israel activated air defenses against Iran’s bombardment on Tuesday and most missiles were intercepted “by Israel and a defensive coalition led by the United States,” Israeli Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a video on X.

The violence, meanwhile, continued on the Israeli-Lebanese border.

Hezbollah said it was clashing with Israeli troops in the border town of Maroun el-Ras after it had pushed back forces near another border town. The group said it had also fired rockets at military posts inside Israel.

The group’s media chief Mohammad Afif said those battles were only “the first round” and that the group had enough fighters, weapons and ammunition to push back Israel.

There was no immediate comment from Israel.

Israel’s addition of infantry and armored troops from the 36th Division, including the Golani Brigade, the 188th Armored Brigade and 6th Infantry Brigade, suggests that the operation may move beyond limited commando raids.

The military has said its incursion is largely aimed at destroying tunnels and other infrastructure on the border and there were no plans for a wider operation targeting Beirut or major cities in southern Lebanon.

Nevertheless, it issued new evacuation orders for around two dozen towns along the southern border, instructing inhabitants to head north of the Awali River, which flows east to west some 60 km (37 miles) north of the Israeli border.

BORDER CLASHES

Despite calls for a ceasefire from the United Nations, the United States and the European Union, fighting between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah has continued.

Israel renewed its bombardment early on Wednesday of Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of the Iran-backed group, with more than a dozen airstrikes against what it said were targets belonging to Hezbollah.

Nearly 1,900 people have been killed and more than 9,000 wounded in Lebanon in almost a year of cross-border fighting, with most of the deaths occurring in the past two weeks, according to Lebanese government statistics. More than a million people have been forced to flee their homes.

The Islamic Republic described Tuesday’s assault as a response to Israeli killings of militant leaders, including Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, and attacks in Lebanon against the group and in Gaza.

Like a similar attack in April, the latest strikes caused minimal damage. One Palestinian was killed.

The general staff of Iran’s armed forces said any Israeli response would be met with “vast destruction.”

On social media, Iranians were apprehensive about Israeli retaliation and said past wars, such as the eight-year conflict with Iraq in the 1980s that killed about one million people, would only bring more suffering.

FEARS OF FURTHER VIOLENCE

“The destruction of generations, young people being cannon fodder, the enrichment of generals and elites, and the empowerment of extremists? Leaders will not pay for dragging Iran into war,” said Nima Mokhtarian, who works at an NGO.

Iran’s missile strikes and Israel’s operations in Lebanon have caused alarm around the world, as Tehran’s Middle East proxies — Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis and armed groups in Iraq — show no let-up in attacks in support of Hamas.

“It’s time for the entire axis to enter the battle, from Iran to Iraq to Yemen to Syria to Lebanon to Gaza, it’s time. Because it’s clear that nothing can stop Israel, not international laws,” said Lebanese resident Amal.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will host a call of Group of Seven (G7) leaders later on Wednesday to discuss the crisis in the Middle East, her office said.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was meeting with security chiefs at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv.

China called on global powers to play a constructive role to avoid escalation, while Saudi Arabia is hoping for de-escalation and dialogue, Economy Minister Faisal al-Ibrahim said.

Egypt condemned what it called a dangerous Israeli escalation in Lebanon and rejected any attempts to impose a “new situation” on the ground that violates Lebanese sovereignty.