Israeli Special Forces Reportedly Carry Out Cross-Border Raids Into Lebanon As Air Strikes Continue

Topline

Israeli special forces have conducted small-scale raids into southern Lebanon, reports citing Israeli officials said early on Monday, just days after its defense officials indicated they were preparing for a possible ground invasion into Lebanon that could escalate the conflict into a full-blown regional war.

Key Facts

According to the Wall Street Journal, the raids have focused on gathering intelligence and the special forces have also entered tunnels operated by Hezbollah along the border between Israel and Lebanon.

Citing six unnamed Israeli officials, the New York Times corroborated the report, adding that raids were focused on identifying the locations of Hezbollah’s tunnels and military infrastructure to help prepare for either a ground or air attack.

These raids have taken place “recently as well as over the past months,” and could serve as a precursor to a full-fledged ground invasion by the Israeli Defense Forces into southern Lebanon, the Journal’s report added.

Sources cited by the Times said there has been an increase in “intensity and ambition” that have taken place in the past few days

The IDF intensified its airstrikes across Lebanon, including its first strike since 2006 on the capital Beirut—which local authorities said damaged a residential building.

Hamas claimed its leader in Lebanon, Fateh Sherif Abu el-Amin, was killed on Monday along with his wife and children in an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in the southern city of Tyre.

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Crucial Quote

Hezbollah’s deputy leader Naim Qassem delivered the Iran-backed militia’s first public statement since the death of its leader Hassan Nasrallah on Monday. He said the group would name a new leader “as soon as possible,” adding, “We will face any possibility and we are ready if the Israelis decide to enter by land and the resistance forces are ready for a ground engagement…We will continue to support Gaza and to defend Lebanon.”

News Peg

Israel’s military began its air strikes on Lebanon last week, with its leaders suggesting at the time they were open to the possibility of a ground invasion. On Wednesday, CNN reported that IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi met with troops along Israel’s northern border on Wednesday and pointed to the airstrikes, saying: “This is both to prepare the ground for your possible entry and to continue degrading Hezbollah.” According to the Journal’s report, there is no fixed timeline in place for a potential ground invasion as Israel is “under heavy pressure from the U.S.” to avoid such an operation.

Key Background

Israel is facing growing international pressure to agree to a ceasefire in Lebanon amid fears that the situation could spiral into an all-out regional war. Last week, the IDF began conducting a large-scale aerial bombardment campaign targeting what it said were Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon. The strikes have resulted in hundreds of deaths and have forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee from their homes. On Friday, Hezbollah’s long-time leader Nasrallah was killed by an airstrike targeting the suburbs near Beirut. A day before the strike on Nasrallah, the U.S., France, and a group of allied countries called for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon. But the proposal was dismissed by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the IDF would “continue fighting with full force.”

Further Reading

Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah—Target Of Israel’s Beirut Strike—Confirmed Killed (Forbes)

Israel Says It Killed Nabil Kaouk—Another High-Ranking Hezbollah Leader (Forbes)