Israel’s demining near Golan signals wider front against Hezbollah, sources say

In a sign Israel may expand its ground operations against Hezbollah while bolstering defenses, its troops have cleared landmines and established new barriers on the frontier between the Golan Heights and a demilitarized strip bordering Syria, security sources and analysts say.

The move suggests Israel may seek to strike Hezbollah for the first time from further east along Lebanon’s border, at the same time creating a secure area from which it can freely reconnoiter the terror group and prevent infiltration, the sources said.

While demining activity has been reported, sources who spoke to Reuters — including a Syrian soldier stationed in south Syria, a Lebanese security official and a UN peacekeeping official — reveal additional unreported details that showed Israel was moving the fence separating the DMZ toward the Syrian side and digging more fortifications in the area.

Military action involving raids from the Israeli Golan and possibly from the demilitarized zone that separates it from Syrian territory could widen the conflict pitting Israel against Hezbollah and its terror group ally Hamas that has already drawn in Iran and risks sucking in the US.