Israel tells US it’s planning ‘imminent ground operation’ in Lebanon

The US official told the daily that Israel’s planned campaign would be “smaller than its last war against Hezbollah in 2006” and would focus on “clearing out militant infrastructure along the border to remove the threat to Israeli border communities”.

Earlier, US officials had confirmed that Israeli soldiers conducted special operations raids in Lebanese territory near the border Monday morning.

One official described those raids to CNN as “very precise, very targeted, very small raids” – of the kind where “you go in, you go out” to specifically target Hezbollah.

Two sources familiar with the matter also claimed that Israeli special forces have carried out small raids into Lebanese territory in recent days as part of preparations for a potential ground offensive.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant indicated that Israel is expected to launch a ground offensive in Lebanon.

“The next phase in the war against Hezbollah will begin soon,” Gallant told mayors of Israeli northern border communities on Monday.

“It will be a significant factor in changing the security situation and will allow us to complete the important [mission] of returning the residents to their homes,” he added.

Meantime, the US president called for a ceasefire when asked about reports that Israel is preparing for a “limited” ground invasion of Lebanon.

Joe Biden, asked if he was comfortable with Israel’s plan, replied: “I’m comfortable with them stopping.”

He did not elaborate on how the US plans to halt the conflict, or on the fact that it continues to provide Israel with weapons and billions of dollars in aid.

Also on Monday, Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem stressed that the group’s fighters are prepared in case Israel decides to launch a ground invasion of Lebanon.

Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 900 people and injuring over 2,700 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Several Hezbollah commanders have been killed in the Israeli raid, including its leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.