(IsraelNN.com) According to an initial report by the Associated Press, “Israeli ground troops entered southern Lebanon to attack Hezbollah bases on the border.” AP quoted a government spokesman who said Monday that the troops “rapidly returned to Israel after conducting their military operations.”

An Israeli military source said at first that “a small military unit destroyed one or two Hizbullah outposts just over the line” in Lebanon Sunday night. "At the moment, there are no military ground troops in Lebanon, and we are working primarily with an air campaign," he added.

More details were forthcoming on Monday afternoon, when the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee was told by a senior army officer that ground troops had leveled a swathe of land inside Lebanese territory. Troops cleared an area extending up to one kilometer from Israel’s northern border in order to stop Hizbullah terrorists from re-establishing their posts.

Defense Minister Amir Peretz reiterated that the IDF operation was aimed at creating a buffer zone to push the terrorists back far enough to prevent rocket attacks aimed at Israel. He added that military activities in the north would not end until the objective is accomplished.

"We intend to complete this operation. We have no intention of allowing anyone to stop us before we complete the creation of a buffer zone," he said.

Meanwhile, in the south of Israel, IDF forces also continue to operate on a second front, carrying out anti-terror attacks in Gaza. Military sources said the forces will continue their activities until kidnapped IDF Corporal Gilad Shalit is returned and rocket attacks on western Negev communities are ended. No injuries reported from the latest landing of Kassams in the area.