IDF Approves Plan for Military Offensive in Lebanon as Border Clashes Intensify

The Israeli military has approved a plan for a possible offensive inside Lebanon amid continued clashes with Hezbollah along its northern border. The Israel Defense Force Northern Commander, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, met with the head of the IDF’s Operational Directorate, Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk, on June 18, to consider options. “As part of the situational assessment, operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon were approved and validated, and decisions were taken on the continuation of increasing the readiness of troops in the field,” the IDF said in a press statement it shared on social media on June 18. Israel’s northern military forces have been in a relatively low-level fight with Hezbollah—a U.S. and Israeli-designated Lebanese terrorist group—for months. The clashes began shortly after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack across southern Israel, when the Israeli military turned much of its attention south toward its campaign in the Gaza Strip....