US warns Israel 'limited war' with Lebanon could draw Iran to intervene

The Biden administration has cautioned Israel in recent weeks against the notion of "a limited war" in Lebanon and warned it could push Iran to intervene, two U.S. officials and one Israeli official told U.S. news portal Axios.

U.S. and Israeli officials said there is growing concern in the Israeli army and the Israeli Ministry of Defense that the situation in Lebanon is reaching “a turning point.”

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 would be difficult to prevent it from widening and spinning out of control, U.S. officials told Axios.

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.

No decisions were made in an Israeli war cabinet meeting on Tuesday, but the Israeli army presented several options for expanding the fighting, including a ground invasion aimed at pushing Hezbollah's elite Radwan force away from the border, an Israeli army official told Axios.

He stressed that since Oct. 7, the army's directive from political leaders has been to focus on “defeating Hamas in Gaza and avoiding war in Lebanon.”

The official warned that changing this policy could have far-reaching consequences.

Theofficial said war with Hezbollah or a limited operation in Lebanon would have "huge implications for Israel" and, after costing lives and draining resources, likely result in an agreement similar to that currently being sought between Israel and Lebanon.

"We need to understand this before making decisions," he said.