Report: Pentagon worried Israel close to launching ground op in Lebanon

The wave of deadly explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies carried by Hezbollah members in Lebanon has sharply heightened Pentagon concern about a potential ground war erupting in southern Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

“Even before the hundreds of widely dispersed detonations Tuesday and Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told other senior Pentagon officials in a Monday meeting that he feared Israel could soon launch an offensive, after months of back-and-forth rocket and air attacks with Hezbollah,” the newspaper added.

But the Wall Street Journal also noted that Israel has not yet taken measures that indicate the imminence of a major war, with U.S. officials confirming to the newspaper that they have not yet seen any indications of this, such as calling up reserves, which suggests that even if the decision to go to war is made, it may take weeks before Israeli forces are in a position to launch a major attack.

Pentagon officials believe that this may mean that Israel is moving towards a smaller operation that does not require other major military movements.