Israel has informed the US of “limited” ground operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, the State Department in Washington said.
“They told us at this point that these were limited operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure near the border,” department spokesman Matthew Miller said in Washington on Monday. It was not immediately clear whether ground operations were already underway or still being planned.
Miller declined to provide further details about the talks with Israel, saying it is up to Israel to provide information “about its military operations.” Almost at the same time as the US State Department spokesperson’s statement, the Israeli military published a statement saying it had established a “military exclusion zone” in three border towns in northern Israel. The areas around Metula, Misgav Am and Kfar Giladi are affected. “Entering this zone is prohibited,” the army statement said.
“The next phase of the war against Hezbollah will begin soon”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had previously spoken of an impending new phase of the war on the border with Lebanon, fueling speculation about an impending Israeli invasion. “The next phase of the war against Hezbollah will begin soon,” his office said in a statement on Monday. Gallant also spoke to soldiers about the war’s goal of allowing Israelis who had fled the border area to return. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet also met on Monday.
The United Nations warns of a ground offensive in Lebanon
The United Nations has warned Israel of a possible ground offensive in Lebanon. “We don’t want to see a ground invasion,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in New York. “We all know what devastation an all-out war, a ground war in Lebanon, would mean for the people of Israel and the people of Lebanon.” He was responding to reports in the US media that an invasion could be imminent.
Nearly 10,000 UN troops from the blue helmet mission UNIFIL are stationed on the border between the two countries and in southern Lebanon. According to Dujarric, they remain in their position, but their freedom of movement is limited by the continued shelling from both sides and they cannot carry out their work of monitoring the ceasefire that is actually in force. The Austrian Armed Forces are also involved in the UNIFIL mission.
Dujarric also said that humanitarian aid is being prepared in case of an invasion. Member States are therefore urgently requested to provide additional resources to cover the needs of approximately one million people in Lebanon. So far, about 100,000 people in the region have fled to neighboring Syria.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
