An Israeli security official said that any ground operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon would be carried out as swiftly as possible, AFP reports.

“We will try to do it as short as we can,” the official told journalists, speaking anonymously in line with security rules. “I think that we are preparing that every day, and for sure that is inside our toolbox.”

The Israeli security official said the Israeli strikes had killed many Hezbollah militants and significantly curtailed the Iran-backed group’s military capabilities. “I think that they lost many capabilities,” the official said.

Beyond degrading Hezbollah’s capacity to fire on Israel, the goal of Israeli military operations in Lebanon are to kill its military leadership and “clean” border areas so displaced Israelis can return to their homes in the north.

Israel’s army chief, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, raised the possibility of a ground operation against Hezbollah this week, and the security official said that “all options are on the table”.