30 September 2024, Las Cruces, New Mexico, Steven Zimmerman – Israel has ordered a ground incursion into Lebanon. Though limited in size, according to sources within the IDF and the Government, these are the precurser to a full out ground invation in order to eliminate Hezbollah cells operating against Israel.
The targeted raids have been going on for months and have included Hezbollah’s vast tunnel network, according to “The Wall Street Journal.”
Israeli special forces have carried out targeted raids in Southern Lebanon to gather intelligence and prepare for a possible ground incursion, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
The raids have been going on for months and have included entering Hezbollah’s vast tunnel network in advance of a potential ground operation that could launch as early as this week, according to the report.
The Biden administration is applying heavy pressure on Jerusalem not to put boots on the ground in Lebanon, it continued.
According to a report in The Washington Post on Monday, Israel told Washington that a limited ground invasion could start “imminently.”
The planned campaign would be smaller than the 2006 Second Lebanon War and would focus on clearing out terrorist infrastructure along the border to remove the threat to Israeli communities, a U.S. official told the newspaper.
CBS News cited a U.S. official who said the ground assault could be launched “within hours.” Israel’s Security Cabinet, which is responsible for defense-related decisions and composed of senior ministers, was set to meet on Monday night.
ABC News reported overnight Saturday, citing two U.S. officials, that Israel may have begun small-scale cross-border incursions into Lebanon.
The officials stressed that Jerusalem appeared to have not yet decided to send tanks and troops over the U.N.-demarcated Blue Line border.
U.S. officials made similar remarks to CNN overnight Saturday, with the American assessment based on the mobilization of Israel troops on the Lebanese border.
Any such operation will likely be limited in scope, the sources stressed to the news networks.
Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem said on Monday that the Lebanese terrorist army is ready for an Israeli ground incursion.
“Will Israel enter Lebanon? We are ready and prepared to defend it. We know the battle will be long, and we are ready to deal with any situation. We will emerge victorious from this battle. Israel will not be able to reach our military capabilities, and it is going crazy because of this,” said Qassem.
On Saturday, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Lt. Col. (res.) Peter Lerner said that the army was preparing for a ground incursion as an option. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant then held an “operational situation assessment regarding the expansion of IDF activities in the northern arena,” his office said.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi announced on Sept. 25 that the military was preparing a possible ground operation in Lebanon to remove the threat posed by Hezbollah.
The IDF’s 98th Paratroopers Division recently moved from the Gaza Strip to the northern front, joining the 36th Armored Division under the Northern Command.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Sunday he would speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Israel’s intensifying conflict with Hezbollah, adding that a full-blown regional war must be prevented.
“It has to be,” Biden said as he boarded Air Force One for Washington. “We really have to avoid it.”
