Israeli authorities are planning to significantly intensify their ground military operation in Lebanon against the Shiite movement Hezbollah, and the US supports these plans, Axios reported.
According to one of its sources, “Israel plans to significantly increase the scale of its ground operation in Lebanon, seeking to capture the entire area south of the Litani River and destroy Hezbollah's military infrastructure“.
“We intend to do what we did in the Gaza Strip“, the article quotes an Israeli official, referring to strikes on buildings allegedly used by Hezbollah for military purposes. “An operation of this scale and scope could lead to a prolonged Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon“, the article says.
“The Trump administration supports Israel's large-scale operation to disarm Hezbollah, but also insists that damage in Lebanon be minimized and seeks direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon for a post-war agreement“, the publication specifies.“According to the portal, the Israeli leadership had not previously intended to conduct an operation of this scale, as it wanted to focus on military action against Iran. According to sources, these plans were revised after Hezbollah's rocket attack on the Jewish state.“
On the night of March 2, northern Israel was subjected to shelling from Lebanon. Hezbollah claimed responsibility, claiming that the rockets fired at Israeli territory were in response to the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Hezbollah's air force then launched a series of strikes on Lebanese territory. Later, the Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Eyal Zamir, announced the start of an offensive against Hezbollah, which he said could last "many days."
On March 9, a limited ground operation was announced against traffic in southern Lebanon.