Tuesday Briefing: Israel Conducts Raids in Lebanon

Israeli commando units made brief incursions into Lebanon yesterday as troops gathered at the border, possibly to prepare for a wider invasion targeting Hezbollah, according to Israeli and Western officials.

The raids have focused on gathering intelligence about Hezbollah positions close to Israel’s northern border, as well as on identifying Hezbollah tunnels and military infrastructure. Military officials said a final decision had yet to be made about whether or when to launch a major ground operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which would be Israel’s first there in two decades.

American officials said that they believed that the invasion would be a limited one and that their efforts dissuade Israel from a major ground invasion had been productive.

Beirut: Israel said it was behind a blast in Lebanon’s capital that hit a residential building overnight, the first known Israeli attack in central Beirut since 2006.

Death toll: More than 1,700 people have been killed in Lebanon since Oct. 7 — the majority in the last two weeks.