It was reported on September 30 that Israeli special operations forces had entered a tunnel system inside Lebanon.
The United States acknowledged on September 30 that it is aware of limited Israeli military ground operations inside Lebanon.
“I’ve seen reports about ground operations,” stated U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on September 30. “We’ve had some conversations with [Israeli officials] about that. They have, at this time, informed us that those are limited operations.”
Miller provided few additional details about the Israeli operations, mentioning that the “limited operations” have targeted “Hezbollah infrastructure near the border.”
Israeli forces have been engaged in a months-long conflict with Hezbollah—a designated terrorist organization by the U.S. and Israel—in a cross-border skirmish.
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“Israel may be now launching a limited operation into Lebanon, are you aware of that? Are you comfortable with their plans?” a reporter asked President Joe Biden at a White House press event on Monday.
“I’m more aware than you might know,” Biden responded, “and I’m comfortable with them stopping. We should have a cease-fire now.”
The IDF has not yet commented directly on the reported cross-border operations.
This is an ongoing story and will be updated.
