Israel Launches 'Limited' Ground Raids in Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its special forces launched 'limited, localized, and targeted' ground attacks Monday night against 'Hezbollah targets and infrastructure,' with the stated goal, reportedly approved by the US, of pushing Hezbollah behind the Litani River....
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Facts
- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its special forces launched 'limited, localized, and targeted' ground attacks Monday night against 'Hezbollah targets and infrastructure,' with the stated goal, reportedly approved by the US, of pushing Hezbollah behind the Litani River.[1][2]
- Hezbollah denied Israel's claim, arguing there had not been direct ground skirmishes between the two sides. Israel reportedly sent commando units ahead of a possible ground escalation.[3][4]
- According to an Israeli reserve soldier from the commando unit, the IDF troops repelled Hezbollah scouts with artillery but didn't engage in direct combat, with Hezbollah saying it fired artillery into Israel as the IDF moved along the border.[5]
- Israel also warned Lebanese residents of more than 24 villages to 'go north of the Awali River,' which is several miles further into Lebanon than the Litani River. UN peacekeepers in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said Israel had also warned them of the operation.[6][7]
- The Lebanese military, which has historically kept itself out of conflicts between Hezbollah and Israel and hasn't fired a shot at Israel over the past year, said its troops have pulled back from the border.[8]
- IDF chief spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israeli special forces have launched dozens of ground raids into Lebanon since last October, but that they've all occurred close to the Israeli border.[6]
Sources: [1]Timesofisrael, [2]AL, [3]Al Jazeera, [4]Washington Examiner, [5]Wsj, [6]New York Times, [7]Guardian and [8]Alarabiya.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Youtube. While engaging on the ground in Lebanon may not work perfectly in Israel's favor, Israel still faces continuous threats from Yemen to Lebanon. Israel has a right to defend itself, and though it must also be careful not to spread itself too thin in the face of a still-formidable Hezbollah, using strategic operations to push the terror group back seems like a smart move.
- Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Wsj. Despite the current US administration's softball tactics against Iran and its proxies in Yemen, Israel's aggressiveness in Lebanon has brought Tehran to its knees. Hezbollah is Iran's strongest ally and was supposed to be a terrifying enemy, but now that Israel has effectively crushed it, the West and its Middle East allies can rest assured that Iran is now on its heels.
- Anti-Israel narrative, as provided by Al Jazeera. Unless Hezbollah retreats, the only way for Israel to win is through a full-scale invasion deep into Lebanon. If Israel chose to do this, however, it would have to stop its airstrikes to protect its troops on the ground, and thus Hezbollah would be able to continue launching strikes into Israel. If Israel continues bombarding civilian populations across the region, more and more people in both the Middle East and the West will support the victims of Israeli aggression.
