The Pentagon is concerned that exploding pagers and hand-held radios in Lebanon and Syria could indicate that Israel is about to launch a ground invasion of Lebanon, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday evening.
A senior US defense official expressed, "I am very concerned about this spiraling out of control."
US officials emphasized that they have not seen indicators of such an invasion, and that even if such a move were decided on, it could take "weeks" before a major offensive took place. However, a smaller operation, American defense officials noted, could be initiated more quickly.
Hezbollah has been launching missiles and UAVs towards Israel since October 7, and has stressed multiple times that it will cease its attacks only after the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza ends.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Hezbollah "still has a formidable arsenal of weaponry that includes 150,000 missiles that can reach any city in Israel," along with an army of 30,000 full-time terrorists, many of whom are veterans of Syria's civil war.
A US defense official told WSJ that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is under the impression that Israel is considering "new military options for Lebanon."
A former US defense official referred to the Lebanon explosions, saying, "You would do this as shaping one before doing something else."
Though Israel has not given up on US attempts to broker a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah, an Israeli official explained that, "It can't go on forever."
Recent months have seen the US, Britain, Germany, and Canada issue travel warnings for Lebanon to their citizens.
