The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Wednesday that soldiers are prepared for a ground war in southern Lebanon as Israel continues to pound Hezbollah weapons sites from the air.
The purpose of the ground operation would be to remove Hezbollah from its positions near the Israeli border, where it operates in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which was adopted as an agreement to end the Second Lebanon War in 2006.
The IDF said in a statement:
Yesterday (Tuesday), the Commanding Officer of the Northern Command, MG Ori Gordin, visited the commanders and soldiers of the 7th Brigade during their brigade exercise on the northern border. He assessed their readiness and conducted an operational situational assessment with them.
During the visit, MG Gordin emphasized the importance of the soldiers’ preparedness and readiness in order to change the security situation and enable the residents of the north to return to their homes.
From the remarks of MG Gordin: “We have entered a new phase of the campaign, and we are now in Operation ‘Northern Arrows.’ The operation began with a significant blow to Hezbollah’s capabilities, focusing on their firepower capabilities, and a very significant hit on the organization’s commanders and operatives. Facing this, we need to change the security situation, and we must be fully prepared for maneuvers and action.”
A ground war in Lebanon would prove uniquely challenging, as Hezbollah has had a decade and a half to prepared defenses, with weapons from Iran and a tunnel network that is said to have been built with North Korean assistance.
However, Israel may feel it has no choice but to risk a ground war, in order to protect its northern communities from Hezbollah fire. It has already told civilians to evacuate from areas Hezbollah uses to store weapons in civilian homes.
Israel has prepared for a ground war since Hezbollah began firing in October, following the Hamas attack on October 7. However, it was more concerned about Hezbollah invading Israel. The IDF only recently shifted to the offensive.
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said that while Israel would prefer a diplomatic solution, none has been possible, despite the work of the “talented” Biden administration envoy, Amos Hochstein, shuttling back and forth.
Update: The IDF announced Wednesday that it is calling up two reserve brigades for duty on the northern border.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.