Israel sends ground forces into south Lebanon to attack Hezbollah sites near border
US official told ToI that they understand the desire for a limited operation, but are concerned about mission creep.
Israel launched limited ground attacks into southern Lebanon on Monday night, against Hezbollah troops and infrastructure along Israel’s north border. This came hours after the Security Cabinet approved plans for the latest phase of the war to combat the Lebanese terrorist group. The US seemed to support this move with caution.
The IDF announced the incursion early on Tuesday morning and said that the “limited, localized and targeted ground raids”, which began several hours before, had already begun.
The statement said that they were focusing on “Hezbollah infrastructure and targets” in several Lebanese towns along the border, which posed a direct threat to Israeli cities on the other side.
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The military confirmed that air and artillery support was being provided to ground troops in southern Lebanon. They also said the operation was based upon plans developed by the IDF General Staff and Northern Command.
The IDF confirmed that Israeli troops are operating in Lebanon after several hours of conflicting reports on social media, and some Arabic media outlets about whether troops have already crossed the border.
Lebanese soldiers added to the speculation late Monday when they retreated about five kilometers from their positions along the border. They appeared to be opting to remain on the sidelines as they had done in previous major conflicts with Israel.
The IDF released video footage on Tuesday morning showing the 98th Division as an elite formation consisting of commando and paratrooper units leading the ground operation overnight. The 7th Armored Brigade was added to the Paratroopers and commando brigades of the 98th Division.
Before the IDF announced the incursion, a Times of Israel official said that their US counterparts were informed that the limited operation’s goal was to remove Hezbollah’s positions along the northern borders, creating the conditions for an agreement diplomatically under which the terror groups’ forces would be pushed beyond the Litani River in accordance with a UN Security Council Resolution.
Two Israeli officials, in an apparent effort to calm US concerns about the operation, told Axios that it would be time-limited and limited both in scope and duration and not to occupy the southern Lebanon.
The US expressed concern on Monday about the possibility that a limited invasion could turn into something more once it had already begun. However, in a phone call between US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant, the Biden Administration appeared to show its support for these raids.
Austin stated in the Pentagon’s report of the call that “we agreed on the need to dismantle attack infrastructure along border to ensure Lebanese Hezbollah can’t conduct attacks similar October 7 on Israel’s Northern Communities.”
Austin made it clear to Austin that the United States supported Israel’s right of self-defense during the phone call.
Austin, while expressing his support for the IDF’s operation, emphasized that it was not a goal in itself.
In the readout, he stated: “I reaffirmed the need for a diplomatic solution to allow civilians to return to their homes safely on both sides.”
The US Defense Secretary also issued a caution to Iran and its proxy forces. The readout said that he “made it clear that the United States was well-positioned to defend US personnel and partners against threats from Iran and Iran backed terrorist groups and determined to stop any actor from exploitation of tensions or escalating the conflict.” Austin also “reiterated that Iran would face serious consequences if it chose to attack Israel directly.”
A US official told the Times of Israel on Monday evening that, while Washington understood and accepted the goals of Israel, it was still worried that the IDF could get stuck in Lebanon, or that they would be drawn into expanding the mission later. However, the official also noted that Israel is concerned about mission creep.
Another US official echoed that view, pointing out how Israel had framed its 1982 invasion of Lebanon as a “limited incursion” and how this turned into an 18 year occupation of southern Lebanon.
IDF launched its ground offensive two weeks after intensifying the fighting with Hezbollah and shortly after Operation Northern Arrows, which was launched in early September to achieve the newly declared war goal to bring residents of the northern part of Lebanon back to their homes. They were forced to leave their homes last October when the Lebanese terror organization rained down rockets on them.
In an attack widely attributed to Israel, Hezbollah communication devices were reportedly destroyed, taking out 1,500 fighters.
Israel launched a series of targeted strikes that resulted in the destruction of most of Hezbollah’s leadership. The IDF killed Hassan Nasrallah, the long-time leader of Hezbollah, on Friday when fighter jets dropped bunker buster bombs beneath the underground headquarters of the group, which was located in a suburb near Beirut.
In a statement released on Tuesday morning, it stressed that the military was “continuing operations to achieve the war goals and is doing all necessary to protect the citizens and residents of Israel as well as return them to their homes in northern Israel.”
The IDF warned throughout the intensified fighting that they could launch a limited ground assault into Lebanon. This led the caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati to make a last ditch effort to ward off this possibility on Monday by declaring the Lebanese Government was ready to implement fully a UN Security Council Resolution from 2006 that had sought to end Hezbollah’s armed presence to the south of the Litani River.
