The Israeli military announced Tuesday that it has approved “operational plans” for an offensive against the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
In a statement, the military said that Ori Gordin, commander of the Northern Command, and Oded Basiuk, head of the Operations Directorate, “approved the plans and held a joint situation assessment in the Northern Command” as part of preparations for ongoing combat with Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border.
The military added that “decisions were made on the continuation of increasing readiness of troops in the field.”
This announcement comes at a time of rising tensions between the two sides. US envoy Amos Hochstein, during his visit to Beirut, called for urgent de-escalation of confrontations on the Israel-Lebanon border.
In his meeting with Israeli leaders on Monday, Hochstein also urged relevant parties to resolve the conflict along the Blue Line, the border demarcation between Lebanon and Israel, through diplomatic means. He emphasized that this approach is “achievable and urgent” and would benefit all involved.
Tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border escalated on October 8, 2023, after Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas’ attack on Israel the previous day. In response, Israel fired heavy artillery into southeastern Lebanon.