The United States assumes that Israel is preparing an “imminent” military operation on the ground in southern Lebanon and that according to Israel it would be “limited,” Israeli and American sources informed the newspaper. The Washington Post.
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According to US officials consulted by the newspaper, Israel is preparing an incursion on the ground in southern Lebanon, something that stems from discussions held this weekend at the White House between both governments..
Officials said Israel appears to have narrowed the scope of those raid plans significantly and will focus on destroying Shiite group Hezbollah’s rocket launchers, arsenals and other military infrastructure that puts communities in northern Israel at risk, and then withdraw.
The plans are in line with the Americans. The understanding is that we are not going to have another Gaza.
Israeli sources confirmed to Washington Post the intention of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government that the incursion be “limited.”
“The plans are in line with the Americans. The understanding is that we are not going to have another Gaza,” said the same source.
For his part, US President Joe Biden briefly referred this Monday to these incursion plans into Lebanese territory and, when asked if he knew the details, he indicated: “I have more knowledge of them than you think”.
Regarding whether he was comfortable with those plans, he said: “I am comfortable with them stopping. We need a ceasefire now.”
For the moment, Israel has deployed small special forces units in southern Lebanon to apparently prepare the ground for a larger-scale ground offensive.
According to the newspaper The Wall Street Journal, These Israeli missions have focused on Hezbollah’s network of tunnels near the border with Israel and thus prevent the defenses of the Shiite militia-party from causing heavy casualties among Israeli soldiers..
The escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has widened since last Friday with the death of the Lebanese group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, following an Israeli bombing.
‘The next stage of the war against Hezbollah will begin soon’
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant insisted this Monday that Israel is ready to do anything to stop Hezbollah attacks and return those displaced to the north, warning that “the next phase of the war will begin soon.”
Gallant made the remarks at a meeting with mayors of Israel’s northern border communities, most of which have been depopulated for almost a year, when Hezbollah began launching rockets and other projectiles from southern Lebanon in solidarity, he said, with Hamas and the Gazans in Gaza.
“The next phase of the war against Hezbollah will begin soon. “It will be an important factor in changing the security situation and will allow us to complete the important (mission) of returning residents to their homes,” the minister said, referring to the more than 60,000 Israelis out of their homes.
“We will do that. And just like I said here a month ago that we would shift the center of gravity (towards the northern front), this is what I say now: we will change the situation and return residents to their homes,” he added.
This new warning comes hours after Gallant today told Israeli troops deployed near the Lebanese border that the Israeli Army will make use of all its “capabilities” and included infantry soldiers as “part of this effort.”
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