US officials believe that Israel is ready to launch a ground operation in Lebanon

US officials expect Israel to launch a ground operation in Lebanon “imminently” to clear Hizbollah infrastructure in border areas, stepping up its offensive against the militant group .

Israel According to officials, the form of the planned attack was discussed with Washington, which sought to limit its scope and duration, fearing it could lead to an unrestricted occupation. in the border area of ​​Lebanon.

“We believe we have reached an understanding that they will instead do something more targeted, focused on specific areas — and focused on clearing Hizbollah infrastructure near Israeli border communities – and then withdrawing its forces.”

This would be Israel’s first ground attack on Lebanon since 2006, when a 34-day war with Hizbollah ended in a stalemate.

Deploying troops on the ground would also increase risks for Israel, which has unparalleled air superiority but will be fighting in the stronghold of the Iran-backed militant group.

Israel has conducted small-scale ground operations in Lebanon in recent days, according to officials.

According to the Lebanese government, this force also continues to conduct air strikes in Lebanon, killing more than 1,000 people in the past two weeks and forcing up to 1 million people to leave their homes.

Jamil el-Sayyed, an outspoken member of the Lebanese parliament who is close to Hizbollah and once headed the country’s top intelligence agency, said in a post on X On Monday evening, the Lebanese army withdrew from 12 points along the border with Israel, while United Nations peacekeepers deployed in the area were ordered to be on high alert.

Two people in the vicinity of the border said they heard artillery fire coming from Israel.

The Israeli army on Monday night warned residents of three neighborhoods in Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh, a Hizbollah stronghold, to leave the area. Similar warnings have been issued in recent days in response to intense air strikes.

Residents said they heard several loud explosions around midnight local time, appearing to come from the southern areas of the city.

Attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs killed senior Hizbollah commanders, including its leader Hassan Nasrallahon Friday. Israel continued to carry out attacks over the weekend in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, as well as the southern border region, which has been under attack for months.

Asked if he was aware of reports of Israel’s limited ground invasion plan and felt comfortable with the upcoming plan, US President Joe Biden said: “I know more than I know.” What can you know and I feel comfortable when they stop. We should have a ceasefire now.”

The United States has urged Israel to show restraint, but also reaffirmed its tough commitment to defense and deployed more military assets to deter Hizbollah’s patron, Iran.

The British government announced it had chartered a flight out of Lebanon for British citizens who wanted to leave. The flight is scheduled to leave Beirut on Wednesday.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel would use “all the means at our disposal” when he visited troops on the Israel-Lebanon border on Monday. “The forces are ready and prepared to attack,” Gallant said on X.

Hizbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem said the Lebanese group would not stop fighting and was preparing for an Israeli ground attack.

“If the Israelis want to attack on the ground, the resistance is ready for that,” Qassem said, in the first speech by Hizbollah’s leader since Nasrallah’s assassination.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that Israel’s offensive against Hizbollah will continue until more than 60,000 people displaced from northern Israel after a year of cross-border fighting can return home.

Lebanon’s interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Monday his country was ready to accept a nearly 20-year-old United Nations resolution requiring, among other conditions, Hizbollah to retreat 30km from its border with Israel – in an intervention that appeared aimed at blocking the door from opening to a diplomatic solution.

For months, the US has sought to broker a deal to end the conflict and implement the resolution, but Hizbollah has insisted it will continue to fire on Israel as long as the Israeli military fights the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza. .

Last week, the United States and France led efforts to convince both sides to accept a proposed 21-day ceasefire backed by other Western and Arab nations fearing an all-out war in the Middle East.

A US official said Israel had agreed to a ceasefire before changing its mind overnight when it saw an opportunity to target Nasrallah on Friday.

Washington is sending “several thousand more” troops, including more fighter jets, to help defend American forces and defend Israel. The country already has about 40,000 troops deployed in the Middle East.