U.S. Warns Israel “Limited War” with Lebanon Could Draw Iran to Intervene
U.S. officials told Axios the Biden administration told Israel it doesn’t think “a limited war” in Lebanon or a “small regional war” is a realistic option because it will be difficult to prevent it from widening and spinning out of control.
The Biden administration warned Israel that a ground invasion of Lebanon, even if it is only in the areas close to the border, would likely push Iran to intervene, U.S. and Israeli officials said.
One scenario the administration raised with Israel is that Lebanon could be flooded with militants from pro-Iranian militias in Syria, Iraq and even Yemen who would want to join the fighting.
A senior IDF official said that the situation has been escalating since May because Hezbollah conducted more successful drone attacks against Israeli targets that weren’t intercepted.
At the same time, Hezbollah started launching “Burkan” rockets with 1,000-pound to 2,000-pound warheads that caused significant damage to IDF bases along the border.
No decisions were made in the war Cabinet meeting, but the IDF presented several options for expanding the fighting, including a ground invasion aimed at pushing Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force away from the border, the IDF official said.
Original source: https://www.axios.com/2024/06/06/biden-israel-lebanon-war-iran-intervention
