By Khaled Yousef
JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli army said Wednesday that it is preparing for a ground operation in Lebanon as airstrikes continue to pound the country.
“We are not stopping, the fighter jets have been striking all day (in Lebanon), and we are preparing for the maneuver,” Israeli Chief of Staff Gen. Herzi Halevi said during an exercise in the north, according to a military statement.
He visited the 7th Brigade at the northern border, along with the commanding officer of the Northern Command, the commanding officer of the 98th Division, the commanding officer of the Ground Forces Training Center, and the commanding officer of the 7th Brigade, the statement added.
“You hear the jets overhead; we have been striking all day. This is both to prepare the ground for your possible entry and to continue degrading Hezbollah,” Halevi told soldiers.
“Today, Hezbollah expanded its range of fire, and later today, they will receive a very strong response. Prepare yourselves,” he said.
Erlier, the army said that it struck over 280 Hezbollah-linked targets in Lebanon since Wednesday morning.
The army called up two reserve brigades to the northern border with Lebanon early Wednesday amid its ongoing attacks on the country.
The mobilization of reserve forces signals potential preparations for ground operations.
Israel has launched waves of deadly airstrikes on Lebanon since Monday morning, killing nearly 610 people and injuring over 2,000 others, according to Lebanese health authorities.
Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, which has killed over 41,400 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7.
The international community has warned against the strikes on Lebanon, as they raise the specter of spreading the Gaza conflict regionally.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio