US supports Israel's ground operation in Lebanon, warns Iran not to intervene

The United States has pledged its support to Israel after the latter launched "limited, localised, and targeted ground raids" against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Tuesday (Oct 1).

US Secretary of Defense Llyod Austin spoke to his Israeli counterpart, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and discussed the ongoing security developments.

"I made it clear that the United States supports Israel’s right to defend itself. We agreed on the necessity of dismantling attack infrastructure along the border to ensure that Lebanese Hezbollah cannot conduct October 7-style attacks on Israel’s northern communities," said Austin in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

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Austin warned Iran that if it attempted to launch a military attack on Israel during the ground operations, there would be 'serious consequences'.

"I reiterated the serious consequences for Iran in the event Iran chooses to launch a direct military attack against Israel," Austin said.

"The United States is well-postured to defend US personnel, partners, and allies in the face of threats from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist organizations and determined to prevent any actor from exploiting tensions or expanding the conflict."

The Pentagon earlier said it had put an unspecified number of American troops on prepare-to-deploy orders as Israel prepared to engage on the ground in southern Lebanon.

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Israel launches ground raid

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday announced that its troops had started the ground raid against Hezbollah in Lebanon, days after the militant outfit's chief, Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated in an airstrike.

IDF said the Hezbollah targets were located in villages close to the border and posed an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel.

"The IDF is operating according to a methodical plan set out by the General Staff and the Northern Command which IDF soldiers have trained and prepared for in recent months," the military said in a statement.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah has been dealt a hammer blow in recent days by Israel with experts viewing the ground raids as the final step in Tel Aviv's plan of total demolition of the militant outfit.

(With inputs from agencies)