A senior US official speaking to FOX News today (Monday) said that an IDF ground incursion into Lebanon is imminent, and that the incursion would be of a smaller scope and duration than that of 2006, when the IDF sought to create a kilometer deep buffer zone.
The IDF has been making many preparations for this moment, including calling up the 98th Division, and a number of reserve and armored brigades, including the 7th Armoured Brigade.
Support for an invasion into Lebanon cuts across the political spectrum, with even leftwing Democrats leader Yair Golan calling for the occupation of the ridges overlooking the Galilee to stop rocket fire against Israeli territory.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Israeli special forces have carried out small and targeted raids in southern Lebanon, gathering intelligence and probing for a possible ground invasion that could come as early as this week.
The report also indicates that the raids, which included entering Hezbollah's tunnels located along the border, took place both recently and also during the last few months, as part of Israel's broader efforts to degrade Hezbollah's capabilities along the Israel-Lebanon border.
WSJ added that the timing of any ground action could change and that Israel is under heavy pressure from the US not to carry out a major invasion. It is still unclear how long Israel will aim to hold the territory, or whether the invasion will be a series of larger raids, and not a full-scale invasion like it did during the 2006 war.