The Israel Defense Force (IDF) is preparing to launch a “limited ground” incursion into southern Lebanon, ABC News reported, citing a senior unnamed official from the United States. No further details were provided. Previously, Israel’s Chief of Staff Herzi Hallevi said the army is preparing for a possible ground operation in Lebanon and the intense air strikes against Hezbollah could be a preparation for a ‘ground maneuver.” The Chief of the IDF’s Northern Command Major General Ori Gordin made similar comments, stating the military needs to be “strongly prepared” for a land offensive against Hezbollah. The Pentagon, however, said on Wednesday the US saw no indication that the Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon was imminent. At the same time, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah continued to escalate, culminating in the death of the militant organization’s leader Hassan Nasrallah in an IDF airstrike in Beirut.