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Israel's ground operation in Lebanon to entail years of fighting — Russian envoy

Anatoly Viktorov stressed that the Israeli politicians and military officers are "well aware of this"

MOSCOW, September 30. /TASS/. A possible Israeli ground operation in Lebanon would imply months, if not years, of hostilities, Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov said.

"The real intentions [of the Israeli authorities] are unknown to us; we can only infer from certain leaks and publications. I would like to emphasize that we have gained significant experience in the Middle East: advancing one meter in Lebanon would lead to months of hostilities, two meters would mean years of fighting, and three meters - well, I can’t even imagine," the diplomat said on the Rossiya-24 TV channel, adding that Israeli politicians and military officers are "well aware of this."

"This is not the way to go," Viktorov emphasized.

ABC News earlier cited sources indicating that Israeli authorities have not yet decided whether to conduct a ground operation on the border with Lebanon. However, according to them, the Israeli military has either begun or is about to begin "border movements." If the operation does take place, its scope is expected to be limited, the channel reported. The main goal of the Jewish state is to enable displaced residents in northern Israel to return home, and the killing of Hezbollah’s Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah, is not sufficient to achieve that, ABC News added.