NEW YORK, September 30. /TASS/. Israeli special forces have been carrying out raids into Lebanon in order to gather intelligence ahead of a possible broader land invasion, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) said, citing sources.

According to the newspaper, "targeted raids into southern Lebanon" are conducted to gather intelligence data and probe the potential of the Lebanon-based Shiite party Hezbollah "ahead of a possible broader ground incursion that could come as soon as this week." These raids involve entering Hezbollah’s tunnels located along the border, which, according to the sources, is "part of the broader effort by Israel to degrade Hezbollah’s capabilities along the border dividing Israel and Lebanon."

That said, according to the WSJ, the timing of any ground action may change. "Israel is under heavy pressure from the US not to carry out a major invasion," the news outlet pointed out.

The latest escalation between Israel and Hezbollah began after a series of communication device explosions in Lebanon on September 17 and 18. The Lebanese group blamed the blasts on Israel. While Israeli officials have not yet commented on the developments, they announced intensifying its military operation in the North before Israel delivered air strikes on southern Lebanon and also attacked Beirut.

On September 23, Israel launched an offensive operation, dubbed Northern Arrows, aimed at undermining the military infrastructure of the Hezbollah movement, carrying out massive air strikes across Lebanon, with dozens of settlements in the south and east of the country targeted. On September 27, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in one of the Israeli strikes on Beirut with his death officially confirmed by the Shiite party.