Israel informed US of limited ground operations in Lebanon
Israel has informed the United States about limited ground operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure inside Lebanon, the State Department said Monday.
"I've seen reports about ground operations. We've had some conversations with them about that; they have at this time told us that those are limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told journalists.
A U.S. official had reportedly said that Israel's ground operation in south Lebanon is imminent and might start on Monday night.
"Israel plans to destroy Hezbollah missile launchers, weapons caches and other infrastructure, then withdraw its forces after the ground operation," a U.S. official told Washington Post.
A Western official, a diplomat in Cairo whose country is directly involved in de-escalation efforts, also said an Israeli ground operation in Lebanon is "imminent." The diplomat said Israel has shared its plans with the U.S. and other Western allies, and that the operation will "be limited."
The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. It was not clear if Israel had made a final decision on a broader operation.
- Biden opposes ground operation -
U.S President Joe Biden indicated Monday he was opposed to Israeli ground operations in Lebanon and called for a ceasefire, as tensions spiraled after the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
"I'm more aware than you might know and I'm comfortable with them stopping. We should have a ceasefire now," Biden told reporters when he was asked if he was aware of reports of Israeli plans for a limited operation, and if he was comfortable with one going ahead.
- French FM urges Israel against ground offensive -
At a press conference in Beirut, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot urged Israel to "avoid any ground incursion" in Lebanon and to "cease fire", and for Hezbollah to do the same, calling on the sides to agree to a truce put forward at the United Nations. "It is still on the table. There is still hope, but there is little time," Barrot said.
- UN chief against ground invasion -
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is opposed to any ground invasion of Lebanon by Israel, which continued its deadly aerial strikes on the country, his spokesman said on Monday.
"We do not want to see any sort of ground invasion," Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a media briefing.
-EU warns against further Israeli intervention -
European Union foreign ministers called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and have expressed support for U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
"Arms should now be silenced, and the voice of diplomacy should speak and be heard by all," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters after chairing an emergency meeting Monday.
"The sovereignty of both Israel and Lebanon has to be guaranteed," Borrell said. "Any further military intervention would dramatically aggravate the situation and has to be avoided."
- Israelis fear ground offensive will delay hostages release -
Relatives of some of the Israelis held hostage by Hamas in Gaza say they fear Israel’s strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon will further delay a deal that could lead to their loved ones' release.
“It takes away from the hostages,” Sharone Lifschitz said during a news conference Monday in London.
She continued, “If there is a ground incursion, then they are telling us nothing will happen for two weeks or three weeks or five weeks.”
Lifschitz's parents were kidnapped when Hamas-backed militants raided southern Israel on Oct. 7. Her mother, Yocheved, was freed in November but her father, Oded, is still being held.
Relatives of hostages with connections to the U.K. held a private meeting Monday with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy in hopes of increasing pressure for the hostages’ release.
Stephen Brisley’s sister Lianne Sharab and two nieces were killed by Hamas on Oct. 7, and his brother-in-law Eli Sharabi is a hostage. He says the Israeli government insists the hostages are its top priority, but “that’s not the impression I get at the moment.”
Source: Agence France Presse, Naharnet
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