Israel says there will be no long-term occupation of Lebanon, CNN reports.

The Israeli command is conducting a limited operation in Lebanon, without planning a long-term presence of its troops in the south of this country, CNN reports. A senior Israeli official said there is no intention to occupy southern Lebanon and there is no intention of a long-term military presence in the region.

Jerusalem has been careful to portray the ground operation in Lebanon as limited in scope, but has not disclosed the time frame for the operation. The Israeli leadership leaves the question of how deep the IDF troops will enter Lebanese territory unanswered.

On September 30, it was announced that the Israeli military had created a prohibited zone in the north of the country near the border with Lebanon. Subsequently, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces called on residents of the Beirut area to evacuate and announced strikes against Hezbollah targets. On the night of October 1, Israeli aircraft attacked the organization’s “strategic” targets in the suburbs of the Lebanese capital.