Israel's military chief signals preparedness for expanded ground operation in Lebanon

Israel Defence Forces (IDF) Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi emphasized that Israeli forces must be prepared to escalate ground operations inside Lebanon if necessary.

“Together with diplomatic efforts to reach agreements in Lebanon, we need to continue making plans to continue fighting in Lebanon, including taking into account the expansion and deepening of ground manoeuvres. We will activate these plans in case of need,” Halevi stated, Caliber.Az reports via Israeli media.

He further added that the IDF is actively targeting Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, Beirut, and Syria.

In the latest developments, Israeli aircraft carried out eight airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut on November 6. Despite these strikes, Beirut International Airport continued to operate normally.

The IDF later confirmed in a statement on its Telegram Channel that it attacked Hezbollah command posts, weapons depots, and other facilities in the Dahiya suburb of Beirut. The IDF emphasized that it made efforts to minimize civilian risk by issuing advance warnings, using precision-guided munitions, and conducting aerial reconnaissance.

Dahiya, a predominantly Shiite neighbourhood, is a stronghold of Hezbollah.

Since late September, Israel has been targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon and Beirut. The IDF has also carried out limited ground raids against Hezbollah in the southern border area of Lebanon. In retaliation, Hezbollah has been firing rockets and drones at Israeli targets daily.

Meanwhile, Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami stated that Israel's assumption that eliminating Hezbollah commanders would limit the group's capabilities was mistaken, adding that the regional situation is evolving in favour of the resistance front.

“The Zionist regime believed that removing the leadership and commanders of Hezbollah would limit their influence, but Hezbollah has miraculously revived despite brutal strikes and losses,” Salami said. He claimed that Hezbollah is now confronting Israel effectively and is in control of the situation.

IRGC Deputy Commander-in-Chief Ali Fadavi also commented on potential preemptive strikes, stating that Israel and the US might launch one against Iran.

“We do not rule out any preemptive strike by the US and the Zionists (Israel) to deter Operation True Promise in its third version,” Fadavi remarked.

This comes after Israel’s most recent missile attack on Iran on October 26, which targeted military sites involved in rocket production and other defence installations. Israel claimed the strike was in retaliation for Iran's attack on Israel on October 1, which Iran labeled as "self-defence" in response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and IRGC General Abbas Nilforoushan.

By Tamilla Hasanova