Israel launched small ground raids against Hezbollah as it prepares for a larger ground operation in Lebanon, officials said on Monday.A US official told the Associated Press that Israel has informed the US about the raids that are underway and that Israel has not provided timing on plans for a larger operation.The US has not told Israel to halt all of its operations in Lebanon and wouldn’t do so as Washington supports Israel’s right to defend itself, according to the official.Similarly, a US official who spoke to CBS News confirmed that Israel informed the US of its plans to launch a limited ground incursion into the Lebanese territory.According to The New York Times, Israel’s raids, confirmed by six Israeli officers and one Western official, have focused on gathering intelligence on Hezbollah positions near its northern border and identifying tunnels and military infrastructure in preparation for air or ground attacks.NYT is also reporting that US officials say they have persuaded Israel to avoid a major ground invasion of Lebanon, leading to Tel Aviv opting instead for smaller, targeted incursions.It was not clear if Israel had made a final decision on a broader operation. The Israeli military did not comment.The AP is also reporting that 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 diplomat said Israel has shared its plans with the United States and other Western allies and that the operation will “be limited.”This comes hours after Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that the “next phase of the war against Hezbollah will begin soon,” indicating plans for a ground invasion of Lebanon.International powers are scrambling to prevent the conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah from spiralling into a broader war after the killing of the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is opposed to any ground invasion of Lebanon by Israel, which continued its deadly aerial strikes on the country, his spokesman said on Monday.”We do not want to see any sort of ground invasion,” Guterres’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a media briefing.EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday said any further Israeli operations in Lebanon have to be avoided, as world leaders urged against a ground invasion.”Arms should now be silenced, and the voice of diplomacy should speak and be heard by all,” Borrell said after emergency talks between EU foreign ministers.”The sovereignty of both Israel and Lebanon has to be guaranteed, and any further military intervention will dramatically aggravate the situation, and it has to be avoided.”
