Israeli Defence minister Yoav Gallant said Monday (Sep 30) that the “next phase of the war against Hezbollah will begin soon” amid reports that the Jewish nation has now amassed hundreds of tanks near the Lebanon border. Gallant told a gathering of local council heads in northern Israel that the IDF will “change the situation and return the residents home.”
The Washington Post has reported that Israel has notified the US about its plans for a limited ground operation in Lebanon that may start imminently.
The Israeli military, in a statement, said it was “preparing for the next steps in the fighting”. The Times of Israel reported that the chief of Israel’s northern command, Maj Gen Ori Gordin, has recently approved tactical battle plans with officers who would potentially be involved in a ground offensive in Lebanon.
Netanyahu’s warning to Iran
The Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile issued a warning to Iran, saying there was no region in West Asia which was out of the country’s reach. Netanyahu also addressed Iranian people, adding Israel’s enemy was the Iranian government, not the Iranian people, and that when the government fell, its people would be better off.
The warning came as Iranian proxies in Yemen warned Israel of escalation following Israeli strikes on Houthis a day earlier.
On Sep 29, Israel bombed Houthi targets in Yemen in strikes that killed at least four people and wounded 29 others, according to the Houthi-run health ministry.
US puts troops on stand by
Pentagon earlier said it had put an unspecified number of American troops on prepare to deploy orders.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters, “US secretary of state Lloyd Austin increased the readiness of additional US forces to deploy, elevating our preparedness to respond to various contingencies. I’m just not going to get into specifics for [operational security] reasons, but these forces cover a wide range of capabilities and missions.”
(With inputs from agencies)