Israel launches small ground raids against Hezbollah as fight intensifies
Israel launched small ground raids against Hezbollah, officials said Monday, and it declared three of its northern communities as a "closed military zone as signals grew that more forces could soon be sent into Lebanon to fight the Iran-backed militants.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Israel informed the US about the raids, which he said were described as limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border.
There were no reports of direct clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants on Lebanese soil. The last time the two enemies engaged in ground combat was a monthlong war in 2006.
But a Western official, a diplomat in Cairo whose country is directly involved in de-escalation efforts, said an Israeli ground operation in Lebanon is imminent. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, said Israel had shared its plans with the US and other Western allies, and conveyed the operation will be ...