U.S. officials told ABC News that “small-scale” Israeli military ground operations on Lebanese soil “may have begun, or may be about to begin, on the border with Lebanon” to eliminate Hezbollah positions.
Israel does not appear to have decided yet whether to launch a ground operation, but is prepared to do so, officials said, adding that if a ground operation does take place, its scope will likely be limited.
The situation in the Middle East is becoming increasingly heated after the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah . Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed responsibility for the operation: " Nasrallah was the terrorist, the central engine of Iran's axis of evil . He and his men were the architects of the plan to destroy Israel. He was not only activated by Iran, many times he activated Iran. Eliminating him was an essential condition for achieving the objectives."
Tehran is meanwhile considering sending its troops to Lebanon . Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned of the "dangerous consequences" of Israeli attacks in Lebanon. "The UN has failed to take effective measures against Israel," he said in a meeting with UN Secretary General Guterres and Assembly President Philemon Young. "The continued obstruction of the United States, complicit in the evils of the Zionists, in the Security Council is illegal and shameful, aimed at preventing any pressure on Israel to stop its aggression in Gaza and Lebanon."
At the end of his visit to New York, the Iranian minister said that " the Israeli regime will never find peace and tranquility, after its aggressions in Gaza and Lebanon and the killing of the leader of Lebanese Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah. The regime has absolutely no future, since its destruction will now be accelerated ."
"Israel - he added - is a great threat to the region and all countries in the region must be aware that the situation is very serious and dangerous." .
