The Israeli army will limit its ground offensive against Hezbollah to southern Lebanon to wipe out the militia’s infrastructure, a senior army officer said Tuesday.
“We have no intention of extending our operation more than 70 kilometres (40 miles) north of our border with Lebanon,” Lieutenant-Colonel Hemi Lini told army radio, as the fierce Israeli offensive in Lebanon entered its 14th day.
“We are going to focus on Hezbollah infrastructure which is within our reach in the south of the country.
“We know where the Hezbollah terrorists are…Of course that does not mean we know all the holes where they are hiding but our intelligence is excellent and very precise.”
An army spokesman told AFP that “our goal is to push the Hezbollah seven or eight kilometres away from our border, in a manner that would allow the creation of an international security force along this border.”
He said the army had no intention of entering Lebanese territory beyond this zone.
Israel forces took up positions on hilltops overlooking Hezbollah’s military headquarters in Bint Jbeil, the main town in the border area.
