Israel weighs major ground campaign to dismantle Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon

Israel is planning a major ground offensive against the Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to an Axios report.

Israeli and U.S. officials have warned that it could become the largest ground operation in Lebanon since the 2006 Second Lebanon War, when Hezbollah attacked Israel. The purpose of the operation is to neutralize the threat from Hezbollah by pushing the terror group out of southern Lebanon, up to the Litani River.

“We’re going to do what we did in Gaza,” a senior Israeli official told Axios on condition of anonymity, referring to Israel’s major ground offensive against the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack in southern Israel.

Similar to Hamas' strategy, Hezbollah has systematically embedded its operatives and weapons within civilian infrastructure across much of Lebanon, in violation of international law.

The Trump administration reportedly backs a large-scale Israeli ground offensive against Hezbollah but has asked Jerusalem to refrain from striking Beirut’s international airport.

Despite multiple warnings to stay out of the conflict with Tehran, Hezbollah launched attacks on northern Israel after the Jewish state and the United States carried out a massive joint strike on the Islamic Republic of Iran on February 28. Earlier this week, Hezbollah carried out a major barrage against northern Israel, launching around 200 rockets and drones in one night.

“Before this attack, we were ready for a ceasefire in Lebanon, but after it, there is no way back from a large-scale military operation,” a senior Israeli official revealed. “The goal is to seize territory, push Hezbollah forces north and away from the border, and dismantle the military positions and weapons depots in the villages.”

The Lebanese government has officially outlawed Hezbollah’s terrorist activities but has failed to disarm the powerful militia in accordance with the U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal signed in November 2024. The Israeli government has warned Lebanon that if Beirut does not curb Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel, the Israeli military will act to remove the threat.

Israel has already responded to Hezbollah attacks by launching major aerial strikes on command centers and military sites in Hezbollah’s headquarters in the southern Beirut neighborhood of Dahiyeh and across southern Lebanon.

The IDF announced earlier this week that it had struck over 600 Hezbollah targets and eliminated some 200 Hezbollah operatives since Hezbollah attacked Israel in early March. At least two Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat against Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon. Israeli officials have also stressed that the country seeks to minimize civilian casualties in Lebanon.

“The IDF has maintained a commitment to precision and mitigation of civilian harm by issuing evacuation warnings for areas near Hezbollah infrastructure, particularly in Dahiyeh, while employing precise munitions, advanced intelligence and aerial surveillance to focus attacks exclusively on terrorist targets,” the Israeli military stated.

Hezbollah’s current leader, Naim Qassem, justified the attack against Israel, claiming that diplomacy had failed to protect Lebanese residents.

“Therefore, there is no solution but resistance,” Qassem argued. “When the enemy threatens a ground invasion, we tell it — this is not a threat, but one of the traps you will fall into.”

However, the Lebanese government and its population blame Hezbollah for endangering Lebanon’s security by dragging the country into another war with the Jewish state.

Senior Israeli officials now believe that the country has a unique opportunity to dismantle the remains of the Hezbollah threat.

“We feel we have full U.S. backing for this operation,” the Israeli official told Axios.