At the Israeli government session on Sunday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the one hand, Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat and Social Equality Minister Amichai Shekli had a verbal spat. The war was fought with Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon.
According to the Israel Broadcasting Corporation,Place“There is a sense among Israeli public opinion that military operations on the northern front have evolved from a pre-October 7 attack security concept,” explained Barakat.
“The battles against Hezbollah are very similar to the rounds of fighting against Hamas in the past,” Barakat opined. He also saw that Israel had “a rare opportunity to restore the value of deterrence on the most important front on the Iranian front in Lebanon.”
In turn, Shikli said, “The liquidation of about 100 Hezbollah subversives will not have a strong impact,” adding: “We are talking to ourselves.”
A senior Israeli official threatens to open a “new war front” against Hezbollah
As Israel continued its military operations in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, a member of the country's war cabinet threatened to move to a second front on its northern border with Lebanon, where Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israel on an almost daily basis.
On Wednesday, Israeli War Council member Benny Gantz threatened to open a “new war front” with Hezbollah fighters.
He told reporters: “The time for a diplomatic solution is over… and if the world and the Lebanese government don't move to stop shooting residents of northern Israel and remove Hezbollah from the border, the Israeli army will.”
Gantz added: “The next stages of the fight will be deeper, stronger and more surprising,” noting that “the campaign will continue and expand as necessary, to more outposts or nodes.”
The border region with southern Lebanon has seen an increasing military buildup between Israel and Hezbollah since the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip on October 7, which is classified as a terrorist movement between Israel and Hamas.
Hezbollah began carrying out operations against Israeli military targets, putting it within the framework of supporting the “Palestinian resistance,” as it calls it in its statements.
Israel responds to these repeated attacks on a daily basis, bombing areas along the border, targeting the movements of Hezbollah fighters and its military infrastructure near the border.
Axios: Israel informs Washington of its “position” to end conflict with Hezbollah
Three Israeli and US officials told Axios that Israel has told US President Joe Biden's administration it wants to push Hezbollah forces back 6 miles (about 10 km) from the border as part of a diplomatic deal to end tensions with Lebanon.
Notably, Resolution 1701 was issued in the summer of 2006, which ended hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in the July war and limited military deployment in the area south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon to United Nations peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese Army.
Diplomatic sources have said in recent weeks that Israel wants Hezbollah to withdraw its forces from southern Litany at the risk of escalating a military conflict. For its part, Hezbollah maintains that there is no visible public presence in the border area.
Israel evacuated tens of thousands of civilians from Israeli villages and towns near the border.
The Israeli government has publicly stated that the situation must change through a diplomatic solution or military action for Israeli citizens to return to their homes.
Israel has told US President Joe Biden's administration it wants to push Hezbollah forces back 6 miles (about 10 km) from the border as part of a diplomatic deal to end tensions with Lebanon, 3 Israeli and US officials told Axios last month.
The same website indicated that the US administration is deeply concerned that the escalating border conflicts could lead to a war worse than the conflict in Gaza.
