Israeli special forces are carrying out small, targeted raids into southern Lebanon to gather intelligence and conduct reconnaissance ahead of a possible ground invasion that could take place as early as this week.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) writes about this with reference to sources.
The raids, which included penetration of Hezbollah tunnels along the border, have been taking place in recent months, the sources said. They are part of Israelʼs efforts to weaken Hezbollahʼs capabilities along the border between Israel and Lebanon.
Interlocutors of the publication note that the time of any ground operations may change. Israel is under intense pressure from the United States, which demands that it not carry out a large-scale invasion.
The former deputy commander of IDF in Gaza, Reserve Brigadier General Amir Avivi, said that an Israeli ground invasion was imminent and that the raids were part of the preparations for it.
"IDF has made extensive preparations for a ground invasion. In general, this always involves special operations. This is part of the process," he said.
Hezbollah appears so weakened that Israelʼs dilemma is how far it should go into Lebanon, Avivi said. When and on what terms Israel will leave remains unclear, he added.
Last week, a senior Israeli official said the country hoped to avoid a ground invasion. However, Israel has been building up its forces in the north, shifting its focus to the fight against Hezbollah, and now has more forces on that front than anywhere else in the country.
War between Lebanon and Israel
Relations between Israel and Hezbollah escalated this September. During the month, Israel regularly struck Lebanon.
On September 17, hundreds of pagers belonging to Hezbollah members exploded in Lebanon. Because of this, 12 people died, almost 3 thousand were injured. Reuters, citing sources, writes that Israelʼs foreign intelligence service Mossad planted explosives in 5 000 pagers imported by the Lebanese Hezbollah group a few months before the explosions. ABC News notes that Israel has been preparing for the operation for at least 15 years. The Israeli president has officially denied the countryʼs involvement in blowing up pagers in Lebanon.
On September 18, a repeated series of explosions thundered in Lebanon. Walkie-talkies used by members of the Lebanese Hezbollah group and car radios were detonated. 14 people died, another 450 were injured. On the same day, Israel announced a "new phase" of the war — it would be fought mainly in the north of the country, which borders Lebanon. Since then, firefights between IDF and Hezbollah have intensified.
On September 20, IDF struck the Hezbollah high command in Beirut. The commander of the groupʼs missile division Ibrahim Kubaisi was killed in the attack.
And within a week, on September 27, IDF struck the Hezbollah headquarters in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. The next day, the Israeli Defense Forces and Hezbollah confirmed that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in the attack.
- In the north, Israel borders Lebanon, where the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group operates. Hezbollah and Israel have been attacking each other since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.
- Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shia Muslim military-political organization founded in 1982. Hezbollah is actively supported by Iran, it is recognized as a terrorist in more than 20 countries, in particular in the USA, EU and Great Britain. Hezbollah has been against Israel since its inception.