Israel’s security establishment is preparing for a significant expansion of ground operations in southern Lebanon after forces crossed the Litani River for the first time in more than two and a half years of fighting.
Golani reconnaissance fighters and the Egoz commando unit, along with engineering and armored forces, have gained operational control in an area roughly ten kilometers (roughly 6 miles) from the border as part of preparations to expand operations against Hezbollah.
The forces crossed the river last weekend and faced three separate clashes with terrorists, wounding eight soldiers. “The glass ceiling has been broken,” the reconnaissance battalion commander said in footage from the field. Engineering forces simultaneously built several crossings over the river, enabling broad movement of troops and armored vehicles for the next phases of the operation.
Alongside the operation beyond the Litani, Israeli forces continue striking hard in southern Lebanon. In the past 24 hours alone, more than 45 Hezbollah terror infrastructure sites were hit, including weapons depots, military buildings, and launchers. Over the past month, more than 350 terrorists have been killed and roughly 1,100 organizational targets struck.
Among recent operations, Division 91 forces killed a terrorist cell attempting to transport missile launchers on a truck. Additionally, for the second time in 24 hours, Hezbollah terrorists fired an anti-aircraft missile at an Air Force aircraft but failed to intercept it. The terrorist who carried out the launch was killed from the air shortly afterward as he tried to escape on a motorcycle.
On the ground, fighters are highly motivated and urging senior command not to stop the momentum. But at the top political and security levels, disagreements remain over expanding the operation. According to sources in Israel, the political echelon is avoiding changing the status quo in Lebanon until the picture in the Iranian arena becomes clearer, though they stress that intense fighting will resume “in days or weeks.”