The threat appears real.
On a day when Israeli jets hit more than 1,500 targets, many deep in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, and others killing a senior commander of the militant group Hezbollah, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told troops the operation is “intensifying” daily.
Lebanon reported 569 people have been killed and 1,835 injured in Israeli airstrikes since Monday, including 50 children.
Israel demands that Hezbollah move its weapons and fighters north of the Litani River, which runs between four and 30 kilometres from the Lebanese border. That’s to protect more than 60,000 residents of Israel’s north, forced to flee border communities 11 months ago to avoid daily rocket and drone attacks.
If there’s no pullback, Gallant indicated, a ground invasion of Lebanon’s south could come next. “Preparations must be made,” he said, though no details or deadline has yet been given.
In a background briefing Tuesday evening, a senior IDF official told CBC News …