Israel Conducts Limited Ground Operations on Hezbollah Infrastructure
Israel informed the United States of its limited ground operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure near the Lebanese border. Growing signs indicate Israel may soon send ground troops into Lebanon following intensive airstrikes and assassinations of Hezbollah leaders. The U.S. supports a ceasefire but warns of potential unintended consequences.
Israel has informed the United States it is conducting limited ground operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon near the border with Israel, according to the State Department.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, 'This is what they have informed us that they are currently conducting, which are limited operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure near the border.'
Reports on Monday confirmed these limited ground operations, with indications growing that Israel is on the verge of sending ground troops into Lebanon, two weeks into an assault on the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia that led to the assassination of its leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
A U.S. official, speaking anonymously to Reuters, implied that the positioning of Israeli troops suggested an imminent ground incursion. Following intensive airstrikes and targeted assassinations of Hezbollah commanders, Israel has increasingly hinted at a looming land invasion.
The Israeli offensive against militant targets in Lebanon extends across a conflict zone that spans the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the occupied West Bank to Iranian-backed groups in Yemen and Iraq. The escalation has raised concerns about the United States and Iran being drawn into the conflict. Miller emphasized that while the U.S. supports a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, military pressure can sometimes enable diplomacy but also carries risks of miscalculation and unintended consequences.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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