The US government has been informed that Israel is planning to launch a limited ground operation in southern Lebanon in the near future, the Washington Post reported. An American official told the paper that the planned ground operation would be smaller than the operation Israel launched during the Second Lebanon War in 2006 after Hezbollah carried out a deadly cross-border raid and murdered and kidnapped multiple IDF soldiers. The purpose of this operation is to clear out terrorist infrastructure from southern Lebanon and restore security to northern Israel, where more than 60,000 people have been evacuated from their homes for the last year due to the over 8,000 rockets Hezbollah has fired at Israel since the October 7 masscare. Earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israeli special forces have been carrying out targeted raids in southern Lebanon, in preparation for a potential ground incursion. Related articles: IDF strikes Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon IDF takes out Radwan Force battalion commander 'Israel has become a fact of life for the Arab states' France condemns Lebanon rockets, urges Israeli restraint People familiar with the matter told WSJ that such an incursion could potentially take place "as soon as this week." The report also said that the raids, which it stressed were "small," focus on "gathering intelligence and probing," and that they include "entering Hezbollah’s tunnels located along the border."
