TEL AVIV, Israel
Israel is preparing for a possible ground operation in Lebanon, its army chief said Wednesday as Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets across the border and a missile aimed at Tel Aviv that was the militant group’s deepest strike yet.
Addressing troops on the
northern border, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said Israel’s punishing
airstrikes this week were designed to ”prepare the ground for your possible
entry and to continue degrading Hezbollah.”
Israel says it targeted
Hezbollah weapons and rocket launchers in attacks that have killed more than
600 people, at least a quarter of them women and children, according to
Lebanese health officials.
In an apparent reference to
the missile fired at Tel Aviv, Halevi told troops: “Today, Hezbollah expanded
its range of fire, and later today, they will receive a very strong response.
Prepare yourselves.”
It was not clear whether he
was referring to a ground operation, airstrikes or some other form of
retaliation against Hezbollah, which is Lebanon’s strongest political force
and, with backing from Iran, is widely considered the top paramilitary group in
the Arab world.
The Israeli military has said
in recent days it had no immediate plans for a ground invasion, but Halevi’s
comments were the strongest yet suggesting troops could move in.
Israeli said Wednesday it
would activate two reserve brigades for missions in the north — another sign
that Israel plans tougher action.
In the southern Israeli city
of Eilat, a building at the port was struck by a drone, an attack that injured
two people and was claimed by an umbrella group for Iranian-backed militias in
Iraq. A second drone was intercepted, the Israeli military said.
Footage aired on Israeli media
showed a plume of smoke in the area and at least one damaged building. The army
said the drones were identified “approaching from the East.”
Tensions between Israel and
Hezbollah have steadily escalated since war broke out 11 months ago between
Israel and Hamas, another Iran-backed militant group. Hezbollah has been firing
rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel in solidarity with Palestinians
in Gaza and Hamas.
Israel has responded with
increasingly heavy airstrikes and the targeted killing of Hezbollah commanders
while threatening a wider operation.
Nearly a year of fighting had
already displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border
before the recent escalation.
Israel has vowed to do
whatever it takes to ensure its citizens can return to their homes in the
north, while Hezbollah has said it will keep up its rocket attacks until there
is a ceasefire in Gaza, something that appears increasingly remote.
To allow displaced Israelis to
return to their homes, “we are preparing the process of a maneuver,” Halevi
told troops.
US Secretary of State Antony
Blinken urged Israel and Hezbollah to step back, saying all-out war would be
disastrous for the region and its people.
In New York for the annual UN
General Assembly, Blinken said the US was working with other partners on a
temporary ceasefire plan to reduce tensions and allow Israelis and Lebanese to
return to their homes in border areas.
US officials say they are
floating ideas but have not been specific. Some may be discussed at a special
UN Security Council meeting on Lebanon that France called for later Wednesday.
Lebanon’s health ministry said
72 people were killed Wednesday in the continuing Israeli strikes, raising the
death toll from the past three days to 636, with more than 2,000 wounded.
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