US Aware of ‘Limited Operations’ by Israeli Forces Inside Lebanon: State Department

Israeli tanks are being moved, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights September 22, 2024. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart

Israeli ground forces crossed into southern Lebanon on Sept. 30, in what may be the opening phases of an Israeli invasion of the country.

Some Israeli tanks crossed the border into Lebanon on Monday night, according to two sources directly in touch with the IDF troops.

The reported operations come as Israel has been signaling an escalating fight with Hezbollah; a Shia Muslim political and paramilitary faction within Lebanon designated as a terrorist group by the United States and Israel.

Lebanon’s state-backed National News Agency (NNA) reported Israeli artillery strikes in Marjeyoun in southern Lebanon, and further Israeli airstrikes on the southern Wazzani and Khiyam communities. NNA said a Lebanese Army soldier was killed in the Wazzani strikes.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued evacuation advisories for civilians in several areas in the southern suburbs of Beirut earlier on Monday evening, warning the IDF would soon target those areas.

The United States confirmed it was aware of limited Israeli military ground operations inside Lebanon’s border earlier on Monday.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on Monday, based on anonymous sources, that Israeli special operations forces launched a limited operation inside a tunnel system on the Lebanese side of the border.

“I’ve seen reports about ground operations,” U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters on Monday afternoon. “We’ve had some conversations with [Israeli officials] about that. They have, at this time, told us that those are limited operations.”

Miller provided few additional details about the Israeli operations, stating the “limited operations” have focused on “Hezbollah infrastructure near the border.”

Israeli forces have been fighting with Hezbollah in a cross-border skirmish for nearly a year.

Last week, IDF chief of staff Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi advised IDF ground forces to prepare for the possibility of a ground operation against Hezbollah.

On Sept. 25, the Biden administration joined with Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, Qatar, and the European Union in a joint statement urging a cease-fire along the Israel–Lebanon border. The parties to the joint statement urged an immediate 21-day cooling-off period in the growing cross-border conflict to allow time for a diplomatic solution to emerge.

Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated the cease-fire push in a separate bilateral joint statement on Sept. 25.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuffed the cease-fire calls, saying he hadn’t responded to the joint U.S.–French message and calling for the IDF to “continue fighting with full force.”

Israeli aircraft continued to fly sorties over the weekend, targeting several Hezbollah leaders, including the Lebanese faction’s political leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Hezbollah confirmed Nasrallah was killed in a Sept. 27 airstrike.

“Israel may be now launching a limited operation into Lebanon, are you aware of that? Are you comfortable with their plans?” a reporter asked President Joe Biden at a White House press event on Monday.

“I’m more aware than you might know,” Biden replied, “and I’m comfortable with them stopping. We should have a cease-fire now.”

The IDF has yet to comment directly on the reported cross-border operations.

On Monday, the Israeli military announced a closed military zone around the Israeli border communities of Metula, Misgav Am, and Kfar Giladi, and barred civilian entry in those areas. The IDF said this area would remain closed until at least Oct. 6.

Jackson Richman contributed to this report.

This is a developing story and will be updated.