Israeli military has 'no immediate plan to invade Lebanon'

The Israeli military, which has carried out dozens of strikes on the South and the Bekaa, as well as a new bombardment of Beirut's southern suburbs on Monday, has no immediate plan for a ground invasion of Lebanon, one of its spokespersons said.

Israel has bolstered its military presence on its side of the border with Lebanon, but there is no immediate plan for a ground invasion, Israeli army spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said, as quoted by Reuters.

"We have not expanded our presence on the ground inside Lebanon," he said during an online press briefing, even as Israeli soldiers have occupied at least six positions on Lebanese territory for months.

Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, another Israeli military spokesperson, meanwhile, told reporters that all options remain on the table when asked about the possibility of a ground invasion of Lebanon.

"At the moment, hundreds of Israeli air force aircraft are striking simultaneously in Lebanon and Iran," he added, specifying that Israel is "fighting on multiple fronts at the same time, in Iran, in Lebanon, and elsewhere."

He warned that Hezbollah, backed by Iran, will "pay a heavy price" following its fire on Israel, in response to a question about a possible ground offensive in Lebanon.

"Hezbollah opened fire last night. It knew exactly what it was doing. We warned it, and it will pay a heavy price," he added.

Large-scale bombings in Beirut's southern suburbs and southern Lebanon resumed after more than a year, following the launch of rockets from the South toward northern Israel during the night from Sunday to Monday.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for these rockets and said it acted to avenge the assassination on Saturday in Tehran by Israel of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Since the launch of these rockets, the first since the cease-fire of Nov. 27, 2024, thousands of Lebanese have been fleeing the most dangerous regions.