Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday threatened further military action against Lebanon’s Hezbollah, even as Israel battles Hamas in Gaza amid growing talk of another all-out war.
Hezbollah militants launched a barrage of rockets and explosive drones into northern Israel from Lebanon, sparking wildfires. Good preparation for attack.
According to the Israeli government, “Whoever thinks he can harm us while we stand by and do nothing is making a big mistake.” “We are ready to take very drastic action in the north. No matter what, we will restore the north safety.
Other Israeli officials have threatened war in Lebanon against Hezbollah, which has stepped up attacks in northern Israel since war broke out between Israel and Hamas in October. But bellicose rhetoric carries more weight when it comes from the highest levels – not just the prime minister, but also the chief of military staff and cabinet ministers.
Israeli forces and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia and political faction that exercises de facto control over southern Lebanon, have been fighting for months, forcing more than 150,000 people to flee on both sides of the border.
On Monday, Hezbollah-controlled Lebanese television network Al Manar said the group fired at Israeli soldiers at several locations near the border, causing fires and claiming casualties.
One of the worst fires threatens homes in the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, near the Lebanese border, according to Israeli news outlets. Like much of the Israeli border region, the city has been largely evacuated for months, with no reports of casualties.
On Wednesday, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for another drone strike in the area. The Israeli military said two drones landed in the Hurfeish area of the Druze village, which is populated mainly by Israel’s Arab-Israeli minority. At least 11 people were reportedly injured, one of them seriously. No sirens were sounded to warn of the attack, according to the Israeli military, which said it was reviewing the incident.
Such attacks and the threat of more direct military action have raised concerns about the prospect of an Israeli war on two fronts.
On Wednesday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the Biden administration remains “extremely concerned” about the risk of escalation between Israel and Hezbollah.
“That being said, the Israeli government has long maintained – privately to us, and they have stated publicly – that their preferred solution to this conflict is through diplomacy, and we will continue to pursue a diplomatic solution,” Trump said. Miller said.
The Biden administration has held talks with Israel and Lebanon to exchange information with Hezbollah through intermediaries. Lebanese and Israeli officials and other participants said the talks were aimed at getting Hezbollah forces to withdraw from the border.
But Hezbollah has repeatedly said it will not negotiate until the war in Gaza is over, and Israeli military officials said this week they were increasingly frustrated by Hezbollah’s attacks.
“We are approaching a moment when a decision will need to be made, and the IDF is ready for that decision,” Israeli military chief of staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said on Tuesday.
Israeli far-right leaders have been calling for war against Lebanese Hezbollah. “The time has come,” Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on social media on Wednesday. “It has the full support of all the Israeli people.”
Israel invaded Lebanon in 1978, 1982 and 2006 in an attempt to root out armed militants who launched attacks on Israel.
Adam Rasgon and Everat Livni Contributed reporting.
