Israel is reportedly gearing up for a limited ground invasion in southern Lebanon, according to a senior U.S. official who spoke to Fox News on Monday. While details about the invasion are still unclear, the official confirmed that this campaign will be smaller in scale than the 2006 operation Israel conducted in its war with Hezbollah, and is also expected to last for a shorter period of time.
Following the confirmation of an imminent Israeli invasion, the Pentagon informed reporters that it will be sending “a few thousand” more troops to the Middle East to bolster the U.S. forces already on high alert there, just a day after President Biden stated that there would be no further troop deployments to the region.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters that the increased force presence will come from new troop deployments as well as the extension of the deployment of fighter squadrons that were previously scheduled to be rotated out. The F-15 Strike Eagles, F-16, A-10, and F-22 fighter squadrons will now remain in the Middle East, though the Pentagon did not specify for how long.
Singh stated that the increased force presence does not signal a potential evacuation. “They are there to protect U.S. forces and, if needed, they are there for the defense of Israel,” she added.
Israel’s top commander hinted once again on Monday that Jerusalem was preparing its troops for a campaign in southern Lebanon. “To ensure the return of the communities in northern Israel, we will employ all our capabilities, and that includes you,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces stationed on the Lebanon border. Gallant told the troops that the killing of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday, who led the terrorist organization for over 30 years, was “an important step, but not the last.”
“We are confident that you will fulfill every mission you have at hand,” Gallant added.
The world first braced for an Israeli invasion of Lebanon last week when Israeli security officials moved reserve forces to the north and advised troops there to be “prepared.” While Jerusalem has not issued an official order for a ground invasion, Israel has conducted a significant aerial campaign against Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon over the past week, as well as targeted strikes in Beirut.
Biden responded to questions from reporters about the “limited” invasion on Monday, saying, “I am more aware than you imagine.” When asked if he was comfortable with the operational plans, he said, “I am comfortable with them stopping. We should have a ceasefire now.”
Reportedly, special forces have also been carrying out small incursions into southern Lebanon over the “past few months” using tunnels built by Hezbollah but captured by Israel during Operation Northern Shield, which began in 2018. These tunnels, built with the support of Iran and assistance from North Korea, connect southern Lebanon to northern Israel.
According to a Wall Street Journal report on Monday, anonymous sources said these “targeted” incursions had been conducted to gather intelligence on Hezbollah and to disrupt the group’s ability to attack Israel. Israeli officials have stated that the goal of these increased attacks against the terrorist group is to ensure the safe return of around 60,000 residents who have fled the northern border for fear of a repeat of an October 7-style attack.
As the fighting in the region has escalated and the ambiguity surrounding what Hezbollah and Iran’s response to Nasrallah’s assassination might be, it remains unclear when Jerusalem believes these residents will truly be able to return home. “Our goal is to ensure the safe return of the communities in northern Israel to their homes,” Gallant told Israeli troops on Monday, according to a statement provided to Fox News Digital by the Israeli Ministry of Defense. “We are prepared to make every effort necessary to fulfill this mission.”
“We will use all means necessary: your forces, other forces, from the air, from the sea, and from the land,” he added. “Good luck.”
Entonces traduzca al español B1 y recupere solo el texto en español. Mantenga las etiquetas HTML. No devuelva la versión en inglés.