GEOFF BENNETT: Israel's military said today it's# preparing for a ground invasion of Lebanon.

U.S.## officials are frantically trying to avoid# all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah## after more than a week of unprecedented# Israeli attacks on the militant group,## which have killed hundreds# and injured thousands more.

Nick Schifrin is here now with the details.

So, Nick, how tense is the situation# along the border right now?

NICK SCHIFRIN: It's extremely tense,# Geoff.

This has been the deadliest## week in Lebanon for decades, and# that violence continued today.

Israel said that it struck some 350 Hezbollah# sites, including some associated with the## intelligence directorate, to --# quote -- "make it more difficult"## for Hezbollah to produce an intelligence# assessment.

Lebanese authorities say the## strikes killed 50 on top of the more# than 550 killed the previous two day.

But, meanwhile, Hezbollah continued its# own strikes into Israel, including it's## hit villages near the border, wounding at# least two civilians.

Hezbollah also launched## its first ballistic missile at Tel Aviv.# It was intercepted by Israeli air defense.

But, as you said, Geoff, Israel went# further today than it has in the past,## calling up two reserve brigades to# deploy them to the northern area## along the Lebanese border.

And the# IDF's chief of staff, Herzi Halevi,## warn today that troops need to prepare for# -- quote -- "possible entry into Lebanon."

LT. GEN. HERZI HALEVI, Chief of Staff, Israeli# Defense Forces (through translator): We are## preparing th.. enter villages that Hezbollah has prepared# as large military outposts.

You will go in,## destroy the enemy there, and decisively# destroy their infrastructure.

These## are the things that will allow us to safely# return the residents of the north afterward.

NICK SCHIFRIN: And that is what Israel says is# its goal, returning the 60,000-plus residents who## have been displaced from their homes since October# the 8th, when Hezbollah opened fire into Israel.

GEOFF BENNETT: So what does de-escalation look## like now?

What is the U.S. doing# to try to prevent an all-out war?

NICK SCHIFRIN: President Biden admitted# today that an all-out war was possible.## Secretary of State Antony Blinken called# the risk of escalation -- quote -- "acute."

So they have been scrambling.

And# they all are in New York with the## entire international community.

So# that makes it possible for them to## have meetings with partners and allies.# And Western officials, U.S. officials,## tell me that those partners and allies have# been Europeans, Arabs, alongside Israel.

And two U.S. officials confirmed to me# that the U.S. is proposing a temporary## cease-fire along the Israel-Lebanon# border.

It's not ready to be announced## yet.

One official called it -- quote# -- "pretty limited and short-term."

But the idea here, Geoff, would be to# stop the violence, again, temporarily,## in order to try and have a conversation# that they have been having for months,## which is a diplomatic agreement that would# push Hezbollah back past the Litani River,## which on average is about six miles north of the# border, beyond Hezbollah's anti-tank weapons.

That's really what Israel wants.

And# that is prescribed by Security Council## Resolution 1701.

So Hezbollah was# already supposed to be doing that.

One of the leading partners that is# helping the U.S. with this is France.## They are hosting a Security Council meeting# right now over Lebanon, and whose president,## Emmanuel Macron, said today that he was# ensuring that a diplomatic voice can be heard.

EMMANUEL MACRON, French President# (through translator): We must not,## we cannot have a war in Lebanon.

There cannot# be a war.. Israel to cease this escalation in Lebanon and to# Hezbollah to cease this missile launch to Israel.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Senior U.S. officials# tell me that they believe Hezbollah## and Iran do not want an all-out war in# Lebanon, but Hezbollah has to respond## in a serious way to those unprecedented# attacks that you mentioned at the top,## especially using pagers that really hit# Hezbollah fighters where they're most vulnerable.

U.S. officials also believe that Israel# is willing to go to war and obviously is## trying to make it clear to everyone that it is# with this announcement today and the movement,## but that they're hoping Prime Minister Benjamin# Netanyahu is willing to forego an invasion.

But it's still not clear, Geoff, how any step that## Israel could take could really get all# of those residents back to their homes.

GEOFF BENNETT: So what would an# Israeli invasion of Lebanon look like?

NICK SCHIFRIN: It would be devastating,# devastating to Southern Lebanon,## to the people who live there, to Lebanon's# economy, which is already in shambles.

Take a listen to Lebanon's foreign minister,## Abdallah Habib, talking to the Carnegie# Endowment's Aaron David Miller.

ABDALLAH BOU HABIB, Lebanese Foreign Minister:## It's all destruction by destruction and nothing# -- and the peopl.. Israelis are hurt.

Lebanese are hurt.

While we can# find a solution, the more we think about it is,## the United States is the key to our, I would# say, salvation, if I can say, use this word.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Salvation, that's an incredible# word, Geoff, to hear from him, when the U.S,## of course, is giving Israel the weapons# that it would be using in Lebanon.

Bottom line is, though, that their hopes# are on the U.S. on the West trying to get## some kind of deal that would push Israel# to withhold any kind of invasion and that## would somehow get Hezbollah to, again,# not -- who doesn't want full-scale war,## but has to respond to those major attacks, that# response to be under the threshold that Israel## needs it to be and somehow move from that# to the point where residents can get home.

But that's a very, very difficult task.

GEOFF BENNETT: Yes, more to come.

Nick Schifrin, thanks for this# great reporting, as alwa.. NICK SCHIFRIN: Thank you.