Media: Israeli officials assure limited ground operation in Lebanon

Israeli officials have informed American representatives that their highly targeted ground operation in Lebanon will not be prolonged.

The White House has expressed support for Israel's actions, stating, “We support Israel's right to defend itself against Hezbollah,” Caliber.Az reports via Detaly.co.il.

However, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council emphasised that “diplomatic solutions are the only way to achieve stability and security along the Israeli-Lebanese border.”

Israeli officials have characterized the incursion into southern Lebanon as limited in scope, saying there will be “no long-term occupation.”

But officials have declined to say how deep Israeli troops would venture into the country or how long the operation is expected to last.

Previous military operations initially declared by Israel to be limited in their goals have proved to be anything but. Examples include Israel’s years-long occupation of southern Lebanon that began in 1982 with the stated aim of a brief and limited mission to destroy the Palestinian Liberation Organization.

More recently, Israel’s military declared a “limited” operation in Rafah, southern Gaza that has left the city in ruins.

The operation is expected to be less extensive than the one conducted by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) during the Second Lebanon War in 2006. It will focus on dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure along the border to mitigate the threat to Israeli settlements in the region.

By Aghakazim Guliyev