What would an Israeli land incursion into Lebanon look like? A CNN military analyst explains

 

Retired Col. Cedric Leighton speaks with CNN. 

CNN

Should the Israeli military launch a ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, it is likely to concentrate efforts in the southern parts of the country, according to CNN Military Analyst Cedric Leighton.

Leighton said the military may then move toward the Litani River, which is roughly 18 miles into Lebanese territory, targeting areas that are controlled by Hezbollah.

In this scenario, a large area that is defacto controlled by Hezbollah forces would fall into Israeli hands.

Israel’s military chief told troops yesterday that its airstrikes in Lebanon were aiming to destroy Hezbollah’s infrastructure and to pave the way for a possible ground incursion by Israeli forces.

Their rhetoric has again raised fears of an all-out war in Lebanon, which risks inflaming tensions across the region.

“This could very easily spread beyond Lebanon,” Leighton told CNN’s Lynda Kinkade.

The Lebanese Armed Forces are not expected to play a major role in an Israeli ground incursion, said Leighton.

He said the Lebanese military was not as powerful as Hezbollah, which gets funding, training and weapons from Iran and is one of the most formidable paramilitary forces in the Middle East.