PM said to warn Israel faces ‘large-scale confrontation’ with Hezbollah in near future
Gallant cautions that operation in Lebanon could harm chance of freeing Gaza hostages, report claims; Hezbollah second-in-command says war will cause ‘large losses on both sides’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was said to have warned security chiefs during a strategic discussion on Thursday that Israel was facing a “large-scale confrontation” with Hezbollah in the north of the country, a possibility that he contended would not diminish the military pressure on Hamas in Gaza.
According to Channel 13 news, Netanyahu believes that Israel is headed for an inevitable all-out confrontation with Hezbollah, as a diplomatic solution that could bring an end to the near-daily cross-border clashes with the Lebanese terror group remains elusive.
Citing an unnamed Netanyahu associate, Channel 13 reported that no timeline had been established for the expected confrontation, which has been promised by top officials for months, and as such, it could be in weeks or months from now.
The assessment that the skirmishes with Hezbollah on the northern border, which have led to the displacement of tens of thousands of Israelis, would not be solved through a diplomatic solution was shared by the security chiefs, the report stated, and as such it was agreed that a military operation should be launched as soon as international legitimacy and IDF manpower allowed for it.
However, Channel 13 reported security officials were concerned that a wider war in the north could mean severely reducing manpower in Gaza, and so for that reason, are hesitant to proceed with any actions that could escalate the situation in the north any further.
The Kan public broadcaster reported on Saturday that Netanyahu believes a full-on war in Lebanon wouldn’t diminish the IDF’s ability to place military pressure on the Hamas terror group, but Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was said to be less certain.
According to the report, Gallant has contended that while the IDF is indeed ready to take on a war against Hezbollah, it would require a reduction of forces in Gaza and could harm the chance of freeing the hostages, of whom 101 are believed to still be captive in the Palestinian enclave.
Nevertheless, Jerusalem is readying to lobby countries to boost international legitimacy for a war in Lebanon, Kan reported, and will work to persuade the US that everything has been done to try and reach a diplomatic deal that could avoid war, and that all attempts have failed.
Washington is hoping to delay full-blown war, however, until at least after the November 5 presidential elections, the report stated, adding that to that end, Middle East envoy Amos Hochstein will soon present the progress that has been made with Lebanon on efforts to avert a war — efforts which Israeli and foreign sources were quoted as saying were insufficient to resolve the current tensions and daily skirmishes.
Meanwhile in Lebanon, Hezbollah’s second-in-command warned on Saturday that by launching an all-out-war, Israel would not only fail to return some 100,000 people to their homes in areas near the Lebanon border, but would end up displacing “hundreds of thousands” more.
Naim Qassem, number two in the Iran-backed Lebanese terror group, was responding to comments made by Gallant last week, when the defense minister told Israeli troops that the country was “preparing for anything that may happen in the north.”
In a speech in Beirut, Qassem claimed Hezbollah had “no intention of going to war, as we consider that this would not be useful.”
“However,” he continued, “if Israel does unleash a war, we will face up to it — and there will be large losses on both sides.”
“If they think such a war would allow the 100,000 displaced people to return home… we issue this warning: prepare to deal with hundreds of thousands more displaced,” he added.
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 against the Hamas terror group 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 440 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.
