Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter{beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security   The Big Story  Israeli ground attack in Lebanon likely imminentIsrael has decimated Hezbollah’s leadership with strikes over the past week, while also killing hundreds of civilians and displacing nearly 1 million people, with a wider Israeli incursion likely imminent.   © AP Hezbollah’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was taken out in an Israeli attack Friday on Hezbollah’s central headquarters in Beirut. The United States has said justice was served to Nasrallah, a key Iranian ally in the region.  However, Washington is also urging a diplomatic solution to a conflict that is moving ever-closer to an all-out war, especially as Israel threatens a ground invasion.   Israel expanded its air strikes across Lebanon over the weekend, hitting central Beirut on Monday for the first time in months. Local officials say more than 1,000 people have been killed across Lebanon over the past week, including 100 on Sunday.     “There’s no safe place guaranteed in Lebanon,” Jihan Kaisi, the head of a group helping displaced people, told NBC News.    Pressing questions about the conflict now include: Whether Israel will move ahead with a ground invasion How Iran will respond Where cease-fire talks standMultiple outlets reported Monday that Israel has informed the United States of plans to launch a limited ground incursion into Lebanon early this week.    Israeli forces have already carried out limited raids across the border Monday, targeting Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force — believed to be hiding in tunnels close to the border.   U.S. officials say they have been told that Israel will not conduct a full-scale invasion.  “They have at this time told us that those are limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border, but we’re in continuous conversations with them about it,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in Monday’s briefing.  But Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant indicated to troops Monday that some type of a ground invasion was imminent.    Hezbollah's backer Iran, meanwhile, still has not made any big retaliatory moves over Nasrallah nor the July assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, blamed on Israel.   Sources told Reuters that Iran reached out to Hezbollah and its other proxy groups in the region to decide what response to take to Nasrallah’s killing. In addition to backing Hezbollah and Hamas, Iran also arms the Houthis in Yemen and numerous militias in Syria and Iraq.    One option for revenge would be for Iran to press its proxies to increase attacks on Israel and U.S. troops and interests in the Middle East.   Read the full report at TheHill.com.  Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.  Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads  How policy will affect defense and national security now and inthe future:  Vance, Walz VA medical records breached; probe underwayDepartment of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees improperly accessed the medical files of vice presidential candidates Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, with a Justice Department investigation currently underway, the VA confirmed Monday. The Washington Post first reported the breach, noting that at least a dozen employees accessed Vance’s and Walz’s records this summer, a violation of federal health privacy …  Full Story  Hezbollah acting leader vows to fight IsraelHezbollah’s new acting leader on Monday pledged to keep fighting Israel and said the Lebanese militant group was ready for any ground invasion after its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an airstrike last week. In his first public speech since many of Hezbollah’s senior leaders were killed in the attack in Beirut Friday, the group’s deputy leader Naim Qassem said he knows “that the battle may be long,” but Israel …  Full Story  US deploying more troops, aircraft to Middle East The U.S. is sending an “additional few thousand” troops to the Middle East amid roiling tensions over Israel’s deadly strikes on Lebanon that killed top Hezbollah leaders last week, according to Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh. Singh said Monday that an unspecified number of troops have been put on prepare to deploy orders. “Secretary Austin increased the readiness of additional US forces to deploy, elevating …  Full Story   On Our Radar  Upcoming things we're watching on our beat:  NATO will hold a ceremony to mark the transition from outgoing Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to new Secretary-General Mark Rutte, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, at NATO Headquarters in Brussels tomorrow.   CBS News will host the 2024 Vice Presidential Debate with Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio); and Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), tomorrow at 9 p.m. EDT.   In Other News  Branch out with a different read from The Hill:Biden administration expands asylum restrictions at southern border The Biden administration announced Monday it will expand its asylum restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border, cementing tougher standards that will cut off access to protections for many migrants.  Monday’s rule finalizes an earlier policy that cut off access to asylum for those who crossed in … Full Story   On Tap Tomorrow  Events in and around the defense world:  The Center for Strategic and International Studies will hold a discussion on accelerating U.S. nuclear leadership at 11 a.m. Hudson Institute will discuss Bangladesh in the aftermath of its army installing a new leader, at 11 a.m. George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs will host a conversation on “The ethics of sanctions, deterrence and nuclear proliferation,” at 12 p.m. Georgetown University will have a conversation on Gaza, Israel’s system of domination and U.S. complicity at 12 p.m.  What We're Reading  News we've flagged from other outlets: Who were the 7 high-ranking Hezbollah officials killed over the past week? (The Associated Press) VA leaders in New York accused of delaying critical medical visits (Military Times) Russia proposes record defense spending as it pursues victory in the Ukraine war (The Associated Press)  Trending Today  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Longshoremen strike deadline looms large over economy and election Tens of thousands of longshoremen at 14 ports along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico are poised to walk off the job early Tuesday morning if their … Read more Pollsters: Don’t be so sure Trump will outperform our surveys Pollsters caution against assuming that the polls this cycle are susceptible to the same errors as previous ones that underestimated support for former … Read more  Opinions in The Hill Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: The US can leave Iraq. Really. Stark lessons from the failure of the Gaza pier Biden must end our dangerous dependence on China and Taiwan for weapons and ammo  You're all caught up. 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