Israel readies for potential ground invasion of Lebanon

The situation between Israel and Lebanon remains tense. According to the "Wall Street Journal," the Israeli military is increasingly preparing for a "potential ground invasion" of its northern neighbour. The newspaper reported that the attack "could start as early as this week."

The "WSJ" writes that Israeli special forces conducted reconnaissance missions in southern Lebanon over the past few weeks. Agents checked, among other things, information about Hezbollah tunnels that are said to be located near the Israeli border.

A ground invasion of southern Lebanon by Israel is unavoidable, with special forces operations typically being a key element in the lead-up to such actions, according to former Israeli officer Amir Avivi during an interview with the "Wall Street Journal."

In his opinion, the only question remains as to how far into Lebanon Israeli troops will advance and how long they will stay there.

The "Wall Street Journal" notes that Israel's intentions are not being tempered even by strong pressure from the White House, which fears an escalation of the conflict in the region.

The newspaper recalls that the government in Tel Aviv is also under pressure from voices within Israel itself, which argue that a "buffer zone" should be established on the border with Lebanon. This would increase the safety of northern Israeli residents, who are most vulnerable to Hezbollah attacks.

On Friday afternoon, at around 3:00 PM GMT, Israeli forces carried out an airstrike on downtown Beirut. In the attack, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed. Israel announced that it had killed almost all of the top commanders of this organisation and eliminated a large part of its combat capability.

Defense Minister Yoav Galant stated on Monday that while eliminating Nasrallah is a significant move, it is only part of the strategy, as Israel will employ all available resources.