U.S. intelligence officials and senior members of the Biden administration expressed concern over a possible IDF incursion into Lebanon if diplomatic efforts to remove Hezbollah terrorists from the border fail, CNN reported on Thursday.
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“We are operating in the assumption that an Israeli military operation is in the coming months,” one senior Biden administration official said. “Not necessarily imminently in the next few weeks but perhaps later this spring. An Israeli military operation is a distinct possibility.”
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Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets into Golan Heights earlier this week
(Photo: Atef Safadi / EPA)
“I think what Israel is doing is they are raising this threat in the hope that there will be a negotiated agreement,” the official told the network. “Some Israeli officials suggest that it is more of an effort at creating a threat that they can utilize. Others speak of it more as a military necessity that’s going to happen."
Following the IDF's strike on Baalbek deep within Lebanese territory earlier this week, concerns have emerged in Washington regarding the expansion northward of raids on Hezbollah targets into Lebanon's more populated areas, with fears that this could "eventually grow to a ground component as well."
IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi met with senior military commanders on Tuesday and said Hezbollah must be pushed away from the border with Israel and must no longer pose a threat to civilian life there.
"It’s clear that the first thing we need to do is push back the enemy. Then, create a very strong barrier, establish strong intelligence gathering capabilities, position strong forces in the area as well as a strong civilian emergency response unit, and ensure there are bomb shelters and safe areas in homes and communities," Halevi said.
On Wednesday, at least two Hezbollah operatives were killed in a strike on Damascus that was attributed to Israel.