Report: U.S. concerned Israel will invade Lebanon in spring
Hezbollah has fired anti-tank missiles, rockets, and drones at northern Israel on an almost daily basis since October 8, leaving some 80,000 Israeli civilians displaced.
The United Stats is worried that Israel might launch a ground invasion of Lebanon in the comings months if diplomatic efforts to solve the ongoing conflict fail, according to CNN.
“We are operating in the assumption that an Israeli military operation is in the coming months. Not necessarily imminently in the next few weeks but perhaps later this spring. An Israeli military operation is a distinct possibility,” a senior Biden administration official told CNN.
Hezbollah began the current round of fighting with Israel on October 7 to show support for Hamas massacre of Israelis. Since then, Hezbollah has fired anti-tank missiles, rockets, and drones at northern Israel on an almost daily basis, leaving some 80,000 Israeli civilians displaced.
“I think what Israel is doing is they are raising this threat in the hope that there will be a negotiated agreement. Some Israeli officials suggest that it is more of an effort at creating a threat that they can utilise. Others speak of it more as a military necessity that’s going to happen,” the official told CNN.
Another senior Biden administration official said that that there is “a growing group” within the Israeli government that says: “Hey, let’s just take a shot. Let’s just do it.
The official added that such a move would be a “major, major escalation that we don’t even know the proportions of.”
IDF chief of staff Herzl Halevi said earlier this week that on the evening of October 7, Hezbollah decided to join in, and “for that, it must pay a heavy price. 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. We’d like to tell you, and I also believe, that there is no Hezbollah presence adjacent to the border fence or near it. People have returned here, and I think that if we operate correctly, more people will return here, thanks first and foremost to the security,” he added.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has warned Hezbollah repeatedly that a failure to solve the conflict diplomatically would cause Israel to turn Beirut in to Khan Younis, in a reference to a Hamas stronghold in southern Gaza, which has been hit hard by Israeli airstrikes.
Hezbollah is refusing to stop its daily attacks on Israel until the “aggression” in Gaza stops.
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