- Israel warns Hezbollah expulsion
- Rising tension on Lebanon border
- Cross-border attacks escalate
If the militia group’s attacks persist, Israel will take action to expel Hezbollah from the border with Lebanon, an Israeli minister has warned.
Benny Gantz threatened military intervention in northern Israel should militants continue to open fire.
He added that the time for a diplomatic resolution was running out.
In the interim, the commander of the Israel Defence Forces stated that forces were “extremely prepared” for further combat in the north.
Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, chief of staff, stated, “Our first task is to restore security and the sense of security to the residents in the north; this will take time” following a “situational assessment.”
The intensity of cross-border gunfights has increased significantly since the attacks on Israel by Hamas on October 7.
Security sources informed Reuters that Hezbollah launched the greatest number of cross-border attacks in a single day since October 8. This occurred on Wednesday.
There are now concerns that the conflict in Gaza may escalate to encompass the entire region.
Wednesday night, Mr. Gantz stated at a press conference, “The situation along Israel’s northern border necessitates an alteration.”
“The time limit for a diplomatic resolution is rapidly approaching.” The IDF will intervene if the international community and the Lebanese government fail to prevent the firing on Israeli northerners and to distance Hezbollah from the border.
Hezbollah-Israel Tensions Escalate
During a visit to troops near the border earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that if Hezbollah initiated an all-out conflict, Israel would “single-handedly transform Beirut and South Lebanon, not far from here, into Gaza and Khan Yunis.”
Hezbollah, an organisation comprised of Shia Muslims, has received the designation of a terrorist organisation from the Arab League, Western states, Israel, and Gulf Arab countries.
It is one of the most extensively armed non-state military forces globally, receiving funding from Iran.
A comprehensive conflict erupted between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006. It followed a decisive cross-border assault by Hezbollah, coinciding with the incursion of Israeli forces into southern Lebanon.
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Israeli aeroplanes responded quickly to Hezbollah’s expanded use of armed drones and rocket fire along the border this week.
Israeli forces announced Thursday that they had intercepted a drone that had entered their territory from Lebanon.
On Wednesday, Lebanon’s state television reported that an Israeli attack killed a Hezbollah fighter and two relatives.
Also a house was reportedly damaged in the attack near Bint Jbeil, 1.2 miles from the Israeli border.
One of the victims, Ibrahim Bazzi, was an Australian national visiting his family, according to a statement from Hezbollah.
Since October, Lebanon has witnessed the loss of over a hundred lives. The majority of them are Hezbollah combatants, but there were also three journalists and three civilians among the casualties.
Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the Arab League
Since the onset of hostilities, the Israeli side has lost at least four civilians and nine soldiers along the Lebanon border. The army has evacuated thousands of civilians residing in dozens of communities throughout the region.
Unifil, a United Nations peacekeeping force that has been stationed in southern Lebanon since 1978, demanded an investigation from Lebanese authorities following the wounding of one of its personnel in the south of the country.
A patrol was assaulted “by a group of young men” in Taybeh, according to Unifil, and a vehicle was also damaged.
The leadership of Hezbollah lauded the unprecedented cross-border assault that Hamas gunmen launched on southern Israel on October 7th. Approximately 240 people were taken hostage and at least 1,200 were slain, the majority of whom were civilians.
Over 21,100 people, primarily women and children, have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza over the course of eleven weeks of combat, according to the health ministry, which is operated by Hamas. As Israel expands its ground offensive in Gaza’s centre and south, hundreds of Palestinian families seek refuge.
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