Israel will launch a “limited” ground invasion into southern Lebanon in the “imminent” future, a senior U.S. official told Fox News on Monday.
While set details on the invasion remain unclear, the official confirmed this campaign will be smaller in scale than the 2006 operation Israel conducted in its war with Hezbollah, and it is expected to last a shorter period of time.
The news comes as Israel’s top commander on Monday once again hinted that Jerusalem is readying its troops for such a campaign in southern Lebanon.
“In order to ensure the return of Israel’s northern communities, we will employ all of our capabilities, and this includes you,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told soldiers in the Israel Defense Force positioned on the border with Lebanon.
Gallant told the troops that the Friday killing of Hezbollah’s top leader Hassan Nasrallah, who led the terrorist organization for more than 30 years, was “an important step, but it is not the final one.”
“We trust you to accomplish every mission at hand,” Gallant added.
The world first braced for an Israeli invasion into Lebanon last week when Israeli security officials moved reservist forces to the north and advised troops there to be “prepared.”
Though no official order for a ground invasion has been given by Jerusalem, Israel has over the last week carried out a significant aerial campaign against Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, as well as targeted strikes in Beirut.
Special forces have also allegedly been carrying out small raids in southern Lebanon over the “past months” using tunnels constructed by Hezbollah but seized by Israel during Operation Northern Shield, which began in 2018.
The tunnels, which were made with the backing of Iran and assistance from North Korea, connect southern Lebanon to northern Israel.
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According to a report by the Wall Street Journal on Monday, unnamed sources said these “targeted” raids have been carried out in order to collect intelligence on Hezbollah as well as to damage the group’s ability to attack Israel.
Israeli officials have said the intended goal of these increased attacks against the terrorist group, is to ensure the safe return of some 60,000 residents who have fled the northern border out of concern that an Oct. 7-style attack could be repeated.
As fighting in the area has increased and the ambiguity surrounding what Hezbollah and Iran’s response could be to the killing of Nasrallah, it remains unclear when Jerusalem believes these residents will be able to actually return to their homes.
“Our goal is to ensure the [safe] return of Israel’s northern communities 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 accomplish this mission.
“We will use all the means that may be required – your forces, other forces, from the air, from the sea, and on land,” he added. “Good luck.”