Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant appeared to hint on Monday at a possible ground operation against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, in a video statement during a meeting with military commanders in northern Israel.
“The elimination of [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah is a very important step, but it is not everything. We will use all the capabilities we have,” he said.
“If someone on the other side did not understand what the capabilities mean, it is all capabilities, and you are part of this effort.”
Gallant reaffirmed Israel’s stated goal to make its northern areas safe from Hezbollah rocket fire and allow thousands of displaced residents to return.
About 60,000 people have been evacuated from the north because of near-daily attacks by the Iran-backed group that began after Hamas-led militants from Gaza launched their deadly attacks on southern Israel nearly a year ago.
As tensions grow along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, a top Israeli military official says troops are preparing for a potential ground invasion targeting Hezbollah military outposts. Andrew Chang explains what a full-scale invasion would look like and why many world leaders are fearing the worst.
Images supplied by Getty Images and Reuters.
Israel has not ruled out a ground invasion and its troops have been training for one. Multiple Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles were seen in the country’s north last Friday after military chiefs said its air forces would continue to assist any possible cross-border ground operation in Lebanon.
Gallant’s comments come as Israeli airstrikes on targets in Beirut and elsewhere in Lebanon continued, extending a two-week-long wave of attacks that has eliminated several Hezbollah commanders, including Nasrallah, the group’s veteran chief, last Friday.
Israel has told the United States about a number of operations, the State Department said on Monday, adding that they have discussed reports of ground operations, and Israel has told Washington that they are, at this time, limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border with Lebanon.
When asked if he knew anything about plans for a “limited operation into Lebanon,” U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday said, “I am more aware than you might know and I’m comfortable with them stopping. We should have a ceasefire now.”
The U.S. is sending a “few thousand” troops to the Middle East to bolster security and to defend Israel if necessary, the Pentagon said Monday. The additional forces would raise the total number of troops in the region to as many as 43,000.
The increased presence will involve multiple fighter jet and attack aircraft squadrons, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters. U.S. officials said the total includes small numbers of other troops to augment the presence as well.
U.S. President Joe Biden, who held a press briefing about the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Monday, took a question about escalating tensions in the Middle East and the possibility that Israel’s military might launch a limited operation inside Lebanon.
Nasrallah’s killing, along with the series of attacks against the group’s communications devices, constitute the biggest blow to Hezbollah since Iran created it in 1982 to fight Israel.
Airstrikes have also killed around 1,000 Lebanese and forced one million to flee their homes, according to officials in Lebanon. On the weekend, the UN high commissioner for refugees said more than 200,000 have been displaced inside Lebanon.
Global Affairs Canada last week said two Canadians died in Lebanon amid the hostilities. Global Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has also said Ottawa is booking seats on commercial flights to help Canadians get out of Lebanon.
Hezbollah says it’s ready for land invasion
Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general, Naim Qassem, said on Monday his group would appoint a new leader at the earliest opportunity to replace Nasrallah and vowed that the Iran-backed organization would continue fighting Israel.
“The Islamic resistance will continue to confront the Israeli enemy in support of Gaza and Palestine, in defence of Lebanon and its people, and in response to assassinations and the killing of civilians,” he said.
Qassem said Hezbollah’s fighters had continued to fire rockets as deep as 150 kilometres into Israeli territory and were ready to face any possible Israeli ground incursion.
“If the Israelis decide to enter by land, the resistance forces are ready for a ground engagement,” he said. “We are confident that the Israeli enemy will not achieve its goals and we will emerge victorious from this battle.”
France urges restraint
French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot again urged Israel on Monday not to undertake any ground invasion of Lebanon, saying France will step up its support for the Lebanese army.
“I … urge Israel to refrain from any ground incursion and to cease fire. I call on Hezbollah to do the same and to refrain from any action likely to lead to regional destabilization,” Barrot told reporters while visiting Lebanon.
In the early hours of Monday, an Israeli strike in central Beirut claimed the lives of three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a small leftist faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
When a CBC News crew visited the site in the Kola district, debris and personal belongings were strewn around an underpass across the street from the apartment building that was hit. Part of the sidewalk appeared to be smeared with blood.
Jamal Hussein, 66, a resident of the area, was sitting on a plastic lawn chair near the site and told CBC News that he heard the explosion overnight. He said it’s been too loud to sleep, with Israeli airstrikes targeting the city night after night, and that he is frustrated with the recent escalation of hostilities.
The area, which is predominantly Sunni, is usually busy, but the military was keeping people out Monday. The building that was hit had clear structural damage, and some locals said they were told that there was still an unexploded missile inside. In mid-afternoon, a drone could be seen flying high overhead.
Hamas commander killed in Monday strike
In the southern coastal city of Tyre, Monday’s early morning strikes also killed a Hamas commander who had worked for the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, The Associated Press reported.
Hamas confirmed Fatah Sharif Abu Al-Amine was killed along with his wife, son and daughter in an airstrike on Al-Buss refugee camp, one of 12 dedicated to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. The Israeli military confirmed it had targeted him.
UNRWA said Sharif had been suspended since allegations of his ties to Hamas emerged in March. The agency’s commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini, said he learned then that Sharif had been a “member of the political party of Hamas” and decided to suspend him and launch an investigation “from Day 1.” He said he hadn’t heard Sharif might be a Hamas commander until Monday.
“So, he was suspended, had no function, was not paid and was under investigation,” Lazzarini told reporters in Geneva. “We are still an agency with due process.”
