The Israeli military announced early Tuesday morning that its ground invasion of Lebanon has started, confirming earlier reports that Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers were operating on the ground inside Lebanon.
The IDF said its troops are conducting “limited, localized, and targeted ground raids” against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon as Israeli airstrikes continue across the country. The ground raid comes after a week of heavy Israeli airstrikes that have killed over 1,000 people, including many civilians.
While the Biden administration has claimed it wants a ceasefire in Lebanon, it is supportive of the Israeli invasion and said it was informed of the plan. A US official told The Times of Israel that the administration has accepted Israel’s goal of removing Hezbollah positions from near its northern border but is concerned Israeli forces could get bogged down in Lebanon.
Some US officials are unhappy with President Biden’s backing for Israel’s escalations, with one telling HuffPost that the US was permitting “a nihilistic regional murder spree.”
A second US official speaking to HuffPost was asked about the claim that the ground invasion will be limited and said, “It will be big. Everyone who says it’s going to be ‘limited’ is a white man who thinks a million dead brown people is ‘limited.'”
While Hezbollah has been hit hard and its leadership has been decimated, the group says it’s ready to fight invading Israeli troops. “We are quite ready, if the Israelis want a ground incursion, the resistance forces are ready for that,” Hezbollah’s deputy, Sheikh Naim Qassem, said in a video message.
“Israel is committing massacres in all areas of Lebanon until there is no house left without traces of Israeli aggression in it. Israel attacks civilians, ambulances, children and the elderly. It does not fight fighters, but rather commits massacres,” he added.
Qassem also took aim at the US, calling it “a partner with Israel, through unlimited military support – culturally, politically, financially.”
The US officials speaking to HuffPost said it was extremely unlikely that President Biden would veto Israel’s invasion of Lebanon by leveraging military aid. The US is seen as the only party that has the power to stop Israel’s attack on Lebanon and its genocidal war in the Gaza Strip.
