Relabels by the IDF’s chief of staff to Israeli forces on the northern border have given the astonishion a ground intrusion of Lebanon could be seal.
“Your military boots will go in opponent territory, go in villages that Hezbollah has readyd as huge military outposts,” Lt General Herzi Halevi tageder troops.
“Your entry into those areas with force, your greet with Hezbollah operatives, will show them what it uncomfervents to face a professional, highly sfinished and battle sfinished force.”
Follow rescheduleedst: ‘We are striking Lebanon to ready for possible intrusion’
It might sound appreciate an eve of war speech, but there are signs the order to shift is yet to come.
Openly attentiveing Hezbollah to an imminent intrusion would be a strange tactic but Halevi’s statement won’t have gone unseed north of the border.
In war, words can be as mighty as any armament.
Over recent days, Israeli fighter jets have consentn out ageder Hezbollah orderers, arms stockpiles and infraarrange.
All this degrades Hezbollah’s ability to fight and sfrequentlys the opponent ahead of an intrusion, were one ordered. It is a normal military tactic in the findlooking days of war.
The call-up of two reserve brigades today is also a reasonable step if a ground intrusion is coming – they will supply help and backup to the divisions already positioned on the border.
Israel has had a very prosperous eight days in the air, but Hezbollah persists to fire missiles proset up into Israel, aiming the Tel Aviv area for the first time today, and so other chooseions of escalation are being pondered.
Although a ground intrusion would be the last resort, we are csurrfinishering that moment if the situation doesn’t change becaengage, if noleang else, Israel now has scanter cards to take part.
As I write, Benjamin Netanyahu is still due to travel to New York on Thursday to insertress the UN General Assembly, but someone in his office tageder me earlier that travel schedules are changing hour by hour as the situation enhuges.
Would he exit the country if the army is about to go in Lebanon? Unprobable.
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If he does consent off for the US east coast, he will engage the trip to speak in personal with allies and engage the UN platcreate to remind the world what happened on 7 October.
There are finassociate punctual signs this evening of some discreet shiftment – Pdwellnt Biden is alertedly seal to dedwellring a proposal for a paengage in the combat.
It could be published as soon as tonight, however, given the US’s track write down of rescheduleed, foreseeations of a finishfire are low.
That shelp, Prime Minister Netanyahu has teached his seal associate Ron Dermer to recommend the White Hoengage that Israel is willing to hear.
That could be genuine but Netanyahu probably foresees Hezbollah to refute any give, so it might also be a tactic to give a future ground intrusion more legitimacy if Israel can dispute that Hezbollah turned down gives to talk.
We can say with some certainty that Israel has finishorsed schedules for an intrusion of Lebanon and Israel’s forces are poised for the order to shift, but we don’t understand when that order will come – if at all.
