Israel is preparing to launch a ground attack in Lebanon imminently, but it is expected to be limited, an unnamed U.S. official told The Washington Post Monday, in a report which has been corroborated by other media outlets. The report comes as Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that "the next phase will begin soon."
"Israel’s planned campaign would be smaller than its last war against Hezbollah in 2006 and would focus on clearing out terrorist infrastructure along the border to remove the threat to Israeli border communities," the U.S. official told the Post.
The Chief of the General Staff at an Exercise in the North
(IDF)
Another U.S. told the CBS news network that Israel has informed the U.S. that it intends to begin the ground maneuver phase, and that it "may take place within hours." At the same time, U.S. President Joe Biden called for a cease-fire. When asked if he "feels comfortable" with Israel's plan, he said: “I’m more worried than you might know and I’m comfortable with them stopping. We should have a cease-fire now.”
The New York Times cited U.S. officials who said that they believe they have succeeded in convincing Israel not to launch a major ground attack in Lebanon, after long talks held over the weekend. In the United States, signs were detected that Israel intended to launch a maneuver in Lebanon and that it could come soon.
After the talks, they said that they now estimate that the planned attack is small and will include targeted raids in southern Lebanon. Special units in the IDF have already carried out such raids in recent days, in order to remove combat positions from which Hezbollah planned to target the northern settlements.
According to the report, officials in Israel assured their counterparts in the United States that they do not plan for these raids to lead to a major attack by ground forces with the aim of occupying parts of southern Lebanon. The American officials said that they estimate that the commando units will withdraw immediately after the operations is over. However, according to the report, it is still unclear whether this is the final Israeli decision and if there is still a possibility of a large-scale attack.
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Defense Minister Yoav Gallanmeets with mayors of Israeli northern border communities
(Photo: Ariel Harmoni, Ministry of Defense)
Another hint that the incursion could happen at any moment was given by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who met Monday with mayors of Israeli northern border communities. In a conversation with them, Gallant said that "the next stage in the war against Hezbollah will begin soon; 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."
Earlier Monday, Gallant met with armored fighters on the northern border, and gave another hint when he told them: "The elimination of Nasrallah is an important step, but it is not the end. In order to return the residents of the north, we will use all our capabilities, including you."
The Pentagon said on Monday that the US and Israel are still in discussions "about the best way forward" when asked by reporters whether Israel was planning a ground offensive in Lebanon.
"We're continuing to engage with them, trying to learn more. We continue discussions on the best way forward," Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told a news briefing.
Singh also said Israel gave U.S. notice but did not coordinate its Sunday strikes in Yemen with the United States.