BEIRUT (Agencies): According to Lebanese broadcaster LBCI, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ready to wage a full-scale war against Hezbollah, the pro-Palestinian armed group in Lebanon. The development comes as Hezbollah has been launching rocket and mortar attacks on Israeli positions since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, triggering retaliatory strikes from the Israeli army.
LBCI reports that an intelligence brief detailing Israel’s plans, provided by an undisclosed Arab nation, has been handed over to Hezbollah. The potential campaign by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) aims to compel the militants to comply with UN Security Resolution 1701. The resolution, enacted following the conclusion of the last Israel-Lebanon war in 2006, led to the establishment of a demilitarized zone along the Israeli-Lebanese border.
Tensions escalated further this month when an Israeli strike resulted in the death of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut. Last week, Israeli Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi stated that the likelihood of a conflict with Beirut is “much higher than it was in the past,” adding that the IDF is in a state of “increasing readiness” for cross-border attacks.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib has declared the involvement of other countries in the Israel-Hamas conflict “unacceptable.” He also cautioned that a war with Lebanon would not be “a picnic” for Israel. Echoing this sentiment, Hezbollah MP Hassan Ezzedine stated that the militants would “fight back twice as hard and deal a blow to the enemy.”
Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the Middle East in an attempt to prevent a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah.