LONDON, December 18. /TASS/. The Israeli military has developed plans to invade southern Lebanon, which threatens further escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, The Times newspaper reported.
According to the newspaper, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) "wants to drive Hezbollah forces in the southern Lebanon north to the Litani River, a line of symbolic importance for both sides."
The Israeli military and Shiite militants have been exchanging artillery and rocket fire since the start of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on October 7. In the past 24 hours, Hezbollah formations have attacked Israeli military posts in border areas with multiple rocket launchers. Earlier, Israeli artillery shelled the area around the Lebanese towns of Aitaroun, Alma-El Chaab, Douair El Debbiyeh and Naqoura, from where Shiite militias fire rockets into northern Israel.
"Israeli doctrine is to take the war to the other side," a senior Israeli officer said. The final decision on whether to send ground troops across the border will be made by Israel's emergency military cabinet.
"There could be no going back to the status quo before October 7," the newspaper quoted reserve IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus as saying. "The IDF chief of staff has approved plans and defined schedules for readiness," he said.
Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 200 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also underway in the West Bank. On the morning of December 1, the Israeli army accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire and announced that it would resume fighting in Gaza. Palestinian officials blamed the US for the renewed Israeli aggression.