WASHINGTON, September 30. /TASS/. Israel told the US that it could start a ground military operation in Lebanon shortly, The Washington Post reported, citing a US official.
The campaign would be limited in scope, and smaller than the previous operation against the group in 2006, according to the report. Israel would focus on clearing out Hezbollah infrastructure along the border to remove the threat to residents of Israeli border communities, the official said.
The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that a potential ground invasion could happen this week. But the timeline for any ground operations could shift, according to the newspaper. The US is putting heavy pressure on Israel to avert an all-out invasion.
On September 17 and 18, numerous explosions of communication devices and other electronic gadgets swept across Lebanon, setting off a new wave of escalation between Israel and Hezbollah. The Lebanese group blamed Israel for the incidents. Israel did not comment directly on the device detonations, but announced it was intensifying military operations in the north. On September 23, Israel started a military operation codenamed Northern Arrows against Hezbollah in Lebanon, carrying out widespread strikes at the group’s military sites. The stated goal is to create a secure environment in areas near the Israeli northern border, so that tens of thousands of people could return to their homes. In a strike on September 27 Israel eliminated Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.