Gallant tells US envoy only ‘military action’ can return Israelis to homes in north
Rockets, drones from Lebanon spark fires in north but no injuries, as IDF bombs Hezbollah sites; Lebanese health ministry says one killed, two injured in Israeli strikes
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday that only military action against Hezbollah will enable the return of tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis to their homes, as rockets and drones continued to pound northern Israel.
Speaking to visiting US envoy Amos Hochstein, Gallant said, “The possibility for an agreement is running out as Hezbollah continues to ‘tie itself’ to Hamas, and refuses to end the conflict,” according to a statement from his office. “Therefore, the only way left to ensure the return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes, will be via military action.”
Hochstein, who has been working for months to find a diplomatic solution to the fighting over the Israel-Lebanon border, met earlier in the day with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.
Hochstein warned Gallant during their meeting that a major Israeli offensive against Hezbollah would not lead to the return of the evacuated northern residents to their homes. Instead, it would raise the risk of a prolonged regional war, a source familiar with the matter told reporters
He told Gallant that the US supports a diplomatic solution to Hezbollah tensions, be it through a Gaza ceasefire or another path, the source said.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, told Hochstein in their meeting that it would not be possible for Israel to return its 60,00 evacuated residents to their homes in the north “without a fundamental change in the security situation” there, his office said.
Netanyahu “also said that Israel appreciates and respects the support of the United States, but in the end will do what is necessary to maintain its security and to return the residents of the north to their homes safely,” the readout said.
Following Gallant’s and Netanyahu’s meetings with Hochstein, the security cabinet is scheduled to meet Monday evening in Tel Aviv, with discussions slated to address tensions with Hezbollah and the possibility of returning evacuated northerners to their homes.
Hours earlier, Gallant told US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin that the time for a diplomatic solution to clashes with Hezbollah on the northern border was passing.
In a phone conversation overnight, Gallant told Austin that “the possibility of a settlement in the north is passing. Hezbollah continues to tie itself to Hamas — the direction is clear,” the defense minister’s office said in a statement.
Gallant is believed to oppose a major military operation in Lebanon at this time, according to reports in Hebrew language media, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appeared to favor an operation.
In light of the long-fraught relationship between the two, Netanyahu is preparing to fire Gallant and is considering appointing opposition New Hope chairman Gideon Sa’ar as his replacement, Hebrew media reported Monday.
Rumors that Netanyahu would replace Gallant have been circulating for months, with Sa’ar denying in July that he had received an offer to return to the coalition.
Meanwhile, a series of rocket and drone attacks from Lebanon on the north of the country, throughout Monday, caused damage and fires in open areas, but no injuries. The IDF later said it bombed Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon, killing at least one Hezbollah operative.
Hezbollah, which began launching attacks on Israel in support of Hamas a day after Gazan terror group Hamas’s October 7 massacre in southern Israel, has said it will stop firing only once the war in Gaza ends, though many Israelis fear the north will remain under threat as long as Hezbollah forces are able to operate along the border.
During the afternoon and evening, Israeli fighter jets struck Hezbollah weapon depots and other buildings used by the terror group in southern Lebanon, the IDF said.
The strikes were carried out in Tayr Harfa, Odaisseh, Blida, Kafr Shuba, Houla, Rab al-Thalathine, and Maroun al-Ras. The military released footage of the strikes.
מטוסי קרב תקפו בשעה האחרונה מחסני אמל״ח ומבנים צבאיים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחבים טיר חרפא, אל עדייסא, בליידא ובכפר שובא שבדרום לבנון.
בהמשך להתרעות שהופעלו בשעה 16:27 במרחב מג׳דל שמס, מדובר בזיהוי שווא. pic.twitter.com/F8Pbt05Aag
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) September 16, 2024
Lebanon’s health ministry said that one person died — later announced as a Hezbollah member — and two were injured in the strike on Houla.
Dozens of rockets were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel on Monday afternoon and evening, including at the Upper Galilee area, Kiryat Shmona, and Ramot Naftali.
Some of the rockets were intercepted and many others struck open areas, according to the military.
One projectile launched from Lebanon struck the border community of Metula on Monday evening, causing damage to a building.
Earlier, a drone launched from Lebanon struck an open area in the Upper Galilee, the IDF said. Firefighters worked to extinguish a blaze sparked by the drone.
צבע אדום (16/09/2024 14:19): שאר ישוב, שניר pic.twitter.com/9bpqRaq968
— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) September 16, 2024
At around 7 a.m., incoming rocket sirens activated in the northern community of Kfar Giladi. Rocket sirens also sounded in the northern town of Metula. Those alerts came after; at around 2 a.m., sirens wailed in the Upper Galilee towns of Avivim and Yir’on.
In another development, the Defense Ministry and military finished equipping civilian defense squads in 97 communities near the northern border as part of a project to reinforce the teams.
Some 9,000 IWI Arad assault rifles purchased for NIS 50 million ($13 million) were distributed to the communities, in addition to the 5,000 weapons purchased at the beginning of the ongoing war, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Ministry director Eyal Zamir said the purchase was part of the ongoing project to “strengthen civilian defense squads that fought bravely on October 7.”
Underequipped civilian teams in the south defended their communities alone for hours, when Hamas terrorists launched their massacre before security forces arrived, leading the Defense Ministry to launch a project to boost such squads.
“After we reequipped communities near the Gaza border, we are now completing the reequipment of 100 civilian defense squads in the north with weapons, including the Arad — an advanced weapon developed in Israel,” Zamir said.
On October 7, Hamas led a devastating cross-border attack from Gaza on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Israel responded with a military offensive to destroy Hamas in Gaza and free hostages captured by terrorists.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza during the war there.
So far, the skirmishes have resulted in 26 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 20 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 441 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon, but some also in Syria. Another 78 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have also been killed.
