NEW YORK, September 19. /TASS/. The United States fears that Israel may launch a ground operation in Lebanon against the Shiite Hezbollah movement amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, The Wall Street Journal reported citing sources.

The publication notes that Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin expressed concerns at a September 16 meeting with senior department officials that Israel "could soon launch an offensive." "I am very concerned about this spiraling out of control," a US senior official quoted Austin as saying. Fears in Washington have been elevated following a series of pager explosions in Lebanon.

The Wall Street Journal emphasizes that Israel has deployed a military contingent of thousands of special forces and paratroopers from the south to the north of the country. These troops had previously been fighting in the Gaza Strip for months.

Multiple explosions of communication devices occurred in Lebanon on September 17 and 18. On the first day, a large number of pagers blew up almost simultaneously in various regions of Lebanon. According to the country’s Health Ministry, 12 people, including two children, were killed, and 2,800 more were hospitalized. On the following day, a new wave of blasts swept across Lebanon. This time, walkie-talkies, phones, fingerprint scanners, as well as devices operating on solar and lithium-ion batteries exploded. At least 20 were killed and 460 were injured in the repeat attack.