Israeli media reported on Monday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would not back a potential U.S. ground operation in Iran. Instead, Israel plans to deploy troops to southern Lebanon.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, official sources stated, “When the United States conducts ground operations in Iran, Israeli soldiers do not participate on the ground.”
The report indicates that if the U.S. were to proceed with a ground operation, only U.S. personnel would face danger. In exchange, Israel would offer airstrikes, share intelligence, and provide special operations support. It appears Israel has set firm boundaries against sending its ground forces into Iran.
A post on Truth Social cautioned that if a deal isn’t achieved and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, the U.S. would retaliate by “destroying power plants, oil wells, and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalination plants as well!) that we have yet to deliberately ‘touch’.”
In return for Israel contributing troops against Iran, more forces are being dispatched to southern Lebanon as the ground invasion there intensifies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that military efforts aim to establish a “larger buffer zone” in southern Lebanon to address missile threats posed by the Lebanese militia Hezbollah.
The United Nations has noted that over 1.2 million people have been forced to leave their homes since early March, highlighting concerns over a worsening humanitarian crisis.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem vowed that his group would continue to battle “without restrictions” against what he described as “an enemy that occupies land and continues to invade on a daily basis.”
Meanwhile, with the Department of Homeland Security shutting down and tensions rising with Iran, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), a staunch advocate for U.S.-Israel actions against Iran, was spotted at Disney World.
Graham, who is up for re-election this term, mentioned he had been invited to “meet with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in South Florida to discuss the possibility of normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.”
