Netanyahu holding security coordination at IDF headquarters, Israel said still looking for diplomatic solution with Hezbollah

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding a security consultation with senior ministers, and defense and security chiefs at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv as tensions with Lebanon soar.

Channel 12 reports that while Israel is clearly preparing for war with Hezbollah in a bid to return Israeli residents to their homes in the north, there are still hopes that a full-scale conflict can be avoided.

Quoting senior officials, the report says Israel believes that recent shows of force from Israel could push Hezbollah into accepting a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

However, one senior official says that “Israelis must be prepared for dramatic days in the north.”

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 amid the war there.

So far, the skirmishes have resulted in 26 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 22 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.

Hezbollah has named 478 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. Another 79 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have also been killed.