The Israeli military may have begun or will be initiating ‘limited operations’ across the Lebanon border to take out nearby Hezbollah positions, according to a senior administration official and a US official.
The officials referred to small-scale ‘border movements,’ adding that Israel does not appear to have decided whether to launch a ground incursion into Lebanon but was prepared to do so.
The US assessment was based on the mobilization of Israeli troops and the clearing of areas in what could be preparation for the launching of a ground incursion, one of the officials said.
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Peter Lerner said on Saturday that the military was preparing for the possibility of a ground incursion, but it was only one option being considered. Israel’s stated goal is to return more than 60,000 residents to their homes in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon.
Another Israel’s top general, Herzi Halevi, on Wednesday, said the country was preparing for the possible entry of ground forces into Lebanon.
The development comes after the Israeli military ‘eliminated’ Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an air strike on Lebanon’s Beirut on Friday night. Later, the IDF commanders addressed the ground operation by saying that the Israeli Air Force was preparing to assist troops in a ground offensive against Hezbollah.
Israel Destroys Hezbollah’s ‘Chain Of Command’
A top Hezbollah leader was killed in a targeted airstrike by Israel in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Saturday, an incident which the IDF termed as targeting of the Iran-backed militant group’s ‘chain of command.’ It came just a day after a strike in the area killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it “eliminated” Hassan Khalil Yassin, who led a unit in Hezbollah’s intelligence division responsible for identifying Israeli military and civilian targets, according to the Times of Israel.
Israel’s Fresh Strikes In Lebanon
The Israeli military said on Sunday it was carrying out fresh air raids against “dozens” of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, after killing the Iran-backed group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah on Friday night.
The strikes targeted “buildings where weapons and military structures of the organisation were stored”.
The military has attacked hundreds of Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon since Saturday, it said, as it seeks to disable the group’s military operations and infrastructure.
The strikes that killed Nasrallah on Friday targeted a densely populated area and destroyed residential buildings. Israel carried out more strikes Saturday on what it says are Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, killing at least 33 people and wounding 195, according to the country’s health ministry.
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