After dismantling a surface-to-air missile launcher facility that Hezbollah had positioned 1.5 km from Beirut’s international airport, Israel has launched a limited, localized ground invasion in Lebanon.
Israel’s military confirmed in a statement that the IDF demarcated ground operation in southern Lebanon against terrorist targets and infrastructures of the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.
Targets were villages close to the border that Israel said posed an immediate threat to Israeli communities. Israel has been shelling border towns Marjayoun, Wazzani, and Khiam in the north of Kiryat Shimona.
Reports state that Israel also dropped bombs on Syria’s capital city of Damascus in the middle of the night.
US Supports Israel Ground Invasion of Lebanon
The United States has voiced support for Israel’s ground operation in Lebanon. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said they agreed on the necessity of dismantling attack infrastructure along the border to ensure that Lebanese Hezbollah cannot conduct an October 7-style attack on Israel’s northern communities. “I reaffirmed that a diplomatic resolution is required to ensure that civilians can return safely to their homes on both sides of the border.”
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Austin highlighted that the US is well-positioned to defend US personnel, partners, and allies in the face of threats from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist organizations. The Biden administration is determined to prevent any actor from exploiting tensions or expanding the conflict.
The White House supports Israel’s limited raids against Hezbollah posts on the Lebanese side of the Blue Line, which is in line with Israel’s right to defend its citizens.
Israel Warns Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the Iranian people to predict the nigh downfall of their rulers. He said the Iranian theocratic system would soon end. “When Iran is finally free and that moment will come much sooner than people think, everything will be different.”
Netanyahu said Israel and Iran will then be at peace. “When that day comes, the terror network that the regime built in five continents will be bankrupt, dismantled.”
