The US has warned Israel against a war with Lebanon, Axios reveals

In recent weeks, the US administration has warned Israel against the idea of a "limited war" with Lebanon, saying it could prompt Iran to intervene, Axios reported on Thursday, citing two U.S. officials and one Israeli official. The officials said there is growing concern within the Israeli military that that situation along the border is reaching a turning point.

These reports came as the chief of the Israeli army’s Northern Command, Ori Gordin, said his troops had completed preparations for an attack along the border with Lebanon, during a ceremony marking 18 years since the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, during which the Israeli army invaded southern Lebanon.

Addressing residents of northern Israel — tens of thousands of them who have been evacuated and are living in hotels further south — Gordin said the army’s goals are to “change the security reality so we can return you to your homes as soon as possible,” Haaretz reported. Israel is facing growing public criticism over its war in Gaza as well as its “war of attrition” in the north.

The senior officials who spoke with Axios indicated that the Biden administration believes it would be impossible to bring an end to the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel without there being a cease-fire in Gaza.

The Biden administration informed Benjamin Netanyahu's government that it did not think a "limited war" in Lebanon or a "small regional war" were realistic options, because it would be difficult to prevent such a situation from spinning out of control, and because the US believes any invasion of Lebanon would likely see Iranian intervention.

No decisions were made in an Israeli war Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday on the subject, but the army presented several options for expanding the fighting, Axios reported, citing an army official. One of these options is a ground invasion aimed at pushing Hezbollah's elite al-Radwan force away from the border.

The same army official told Axios that some of the border escalation in the last month is due to the fact that Hezbollah has been more successful with its drone attacks, many of which are not being intercepted by Israel’s short-range missile defense system, the Iron Dome. Hezbollah's recent introduction of "Burkan" rockets with 1,000-pound to 2,000-pound warheads into its arsenal has resulted in significant damage to army bases along the border.

The official stressed that since Oct. 7, the army has been directed by political leaders to focus on Hamas and avoid war in Lebanon. He said that changing this policy would have “huge implications for Israel.”