A senior Israeli official accused the United States of endangering IDF troops by leaking information about its planned ground invasion of Lebanon.
As reported by The times of Israel, An anonymous official called the leaks “dangerous” and added that “this was done even though the United States supports the operation, but it is clear that the United States is concerned and therefore they revealed the operation to try to limit it.”
The comments come amid reports that Israel’s political security cabinet ministers were left frustrated that news of its planned invasion was leaked when an unnamed US security official confirmed to media outlets yesterday of an imminent “limited” invasion. “to Lebanon.
Additionally, during a US State Department briefing on Monday, spokesman Matthew Miller said that Israel “had told us that these are limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border.”
President Joe Biden also told reporters yesterday that he was “more aware than you realize,” before adding: “We should establish a ceasefire now.”
Israeli ministers are reportedly frustrated by leaked reports of an invasion of Lebanon by the United States and the IDF.
A photograph taken from northern Israel, along the border with southern Lebanon, on September 30, 2024, shows a fire following Israeli bombing in an area of southern Lebanon.
A man observes the destruction at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike in the Ruwais neighborhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs today.
It comes as the IDF last night confirmed a “selective and delimited ground operation in southern Lebanon” against “terrorist targets and infrastructure of the terrorist organization Hezbollah.”
Spokesman Daniel Hagari added that the villages Israel is targeting are “close to the border, posing an immediate and real threat to Israeli settlements.”
The long-awaited ground invasion of Lebanon came after a day of rising tensions in the war-torn region.
The raid, dubbed “Operation Northern Arrows” by the IDF, will continue “according to the assessment of the situation and in parallel with the fighting in Gaza and other areas.”
The ground assault, which comes almost a year after the October 7 Hamas attacks, was given the green light after hundreds of Israeli tanks massed on the border, and infantrymen were also supported by intensified IDF airstrikes.
Dramatic images showed a volley of rockets and bombs lighting up the sky, while artillery fire could be heard in several villages near the Israel-Lebanon border.
The deployment of boots on the ground represents a significant escalation in Israel’s war against Hezbollah, whose leadership has been wiped out in a series of recent airstrikes.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah responded this morning by sending a barrage of rockets into northern Israel.
It comes as the Pentagon confirmed last night that thousands of US troops had been deployed to the region amid fears that fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon could escalate into an all-out regional war.
The Biden administration hopes to prevent the situation from escalating into a broader war that could potentially engulf US forces, and has urged Israel to keep its incursion limited in scope.
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on the city of Khiyam, southeast Lebanon.
Israeli soldiers work on tanks in a staging area in northern Israel, near the Israel-Lebanon border, October 1, 2024.
Smoke rises from the rubble of a building at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike in the Laylaki neighborhood in the southern suburbs of Beirut on October 1, 2024.
Residents inspect damage following an overnight Israeli airstrike on the Ain al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp outside the southern port city of Sidon early on October 1, 2024.
Israeli army tanks maneuver in a concentration area in northern Israel, near the border between Israel and Lebanon.
Last night Israel bombed Lebanon from the sky and on foot as an incursion began.
The United States has also warned that Iran will face “serious consequences” if it attacks Israel.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a phone call with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on Monday night, said the United States “supports Israel’s right to defend itself.”
“We agreed on the need to dismantle attack infrastructure along the border to ensure that Lebanese Hezbollah cannot carry out October 7-style attacks against communities in northern Israel,” he wrote in X.
He added that “I reiterated the serious consequences for Iran should Iran decide to launch a direct military attack against Israel,” Austin said.
On Sunday, Austin warned that “if Iran, its partners or its proxies take this moment to attack US personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take all necessary measures to defend our people.”
Before last night’s raid, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued his own warning to Iran, which backs Hezbollah and Hamas.
“There is nowhere in the Middle East that Israel cannot reach,” Netanyahu said, just days after an airstrike south of Beirut killed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s former leader.
The group’s acting leader, Naim Kassem, said his fighters were “ready for war” and prepared to fight for a long time if necessary.