WSJ: Israel could launch ground invasion of Lebanon as early as this week
Israel could launch a large-scale ground invasion of Lebanon as early as this week. Writes about this The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) citing sources.
“Israeli special forces are conducting small, targeted raids into southern Lebanon, gathering intelligence and conducting reconnaissance ahead of a possible larger ground invasion that could occur as soon as this week,” the report said.
According to the newspaper, the Israeli side has in recent months, as part of raids, penetrated into the tunnels of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, located near the border, to weaken the enemy’s capabilities.
It is possible that the start time of the operation may change. Israel is under pressure from the United States, which is trying to convince it to abandon its plans, sources told the publication.
“It is not yet clear how long Israel intends to hold the territory, or whether the invasion will be more like a series of larger raids,” the authors of the article emphasize. At the same time, according to former senior Israeli military official Amir Avivi, who continues to receive information from the country’s defense department, an Israeli ground invasion is inevitable and the raids are part of the preparation.
“The IDF has made extensive preparations for a ground invasion. In general, this always involves special operations. This is part of the process,” Avivi said.
Earlier, the WSJ, citing Israeli military officials and officials, reported that Israel, by eliminating Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, hoped to weaken the influence of the Shiite movement, as well as avoid a ground conflict in Lebanon.
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