Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is “prepared for a very intense operation” along its border with Lebanon, where Israeli troops have exchanged fire almost daily with Hezbollah fighters for almost eight months.
Fighting between Israel and the Hamas-allied Lebanese armed group has intensified over the past week, with Israel striking deeper into Lebanese territory, raising concerns that an even broader conflict could break out between the heavily armed adversaries.
“We are prepared for a very intense operation in the north. One way or another, we will restore security in the north,” Netanyahu said during a visit to the border area.
Hezbollah later said it launched several attacks on Israeli positions during the day, including a “guided missile” attack on an “Iron Dome platform at the Ramot Naftali barracks.” Iron Dome is Israel's air defense system.
In recent weeks, Israel has stepped up its attacks against Hezbollah members and allied Palestinian and Lebanese fighters in cars and motorcycles in Lebanon.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, members of Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners, have called in recent days for immediate action.
“They burn us here, all Hezbollah strongholds should also burn and be destroyed. WAR!” Ben Gvir said Tuesday in a Telegram post.
Smotrich said on Monday: “We must move the security strip from inside Israeli territory in the Galilee to southern Lebanon, including a ground invasion, occupation of the territory and distancing the Hezbollah terrorists and hundreds of thousands of Lebanese among whom Hezbollah is hiding on the other side. of the Litani River,” almost 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border.
Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said on Tuesday that the army was ready to launch an offensive in the north.
“We are prepared after a very good training process up to the level of a General Staff exercise to move on to an offensive in the north,” he said in a recorded statement. “We are approaching a decision point.”
“Many actors are no longer rational”
Israeli airstrikes have hit areas of southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, near the border with Syria.
Israeli strikes have killed about 300 Hezbollah members since October 7 and about 80 civilians. Attacks from Lebanon against Israel have killed 18 Israeli soldiers and 10 civilians, the Israeli military said.
Hostilities have been the worst between Israel and Hezbollah since they went to war in 2006, and tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border have been forced to flee their homes.
Hezbollah's deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Qassem, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that the group's decision was not to expand the war, but that it would fight one if it was imposed. He said Hezbollah had used a small part of its capabilities and that any move by Israel to expand the conflict would cause “devastation, destruction and displacement” in Israel.
Qassem also said that the Lebanon front will not stop until the Gaza war ends.
According to Karim Bitar, a research associate at the Institute of International and Strategic Affairs in Paris, the risk of an escalation between Israel and Hezbollah “has increased considerably.”
“While no one is interested in seeing a broader escalation, it seems that many actors are no longer rational,” he told Al Jazeera. “Emotions are running high and any miscalculation could lead to a wider conflagration.”
However, Israel could get “more than it bargained for” if it decides to attack Lebanon, Bitar said.
“Hezbollah is considerably stronger than Hamas, and the events of recent months have shown that Israel was unable to eradicate Hamas,” he said.
“If Israel attacks, it will be a devastating blow for Lebanon, but it will also be very counterproductive for Israel,” Bitar added.
Meanwhile, the US State Department said Washington does not want to see a full-blown war and is trying to find a diplomatic solution, adding that Israel has the right to defend itself.
The United States considers Hezbollah a “terrorist group.”
Hezbollah has signaled its eventual openness to a deal that benefits Lebanon, but has said there can be no discussions until Israel stops the offensive in Gaza, something mediators are struggling to achieve.
Past wars have caused great damage. In 2006, Israeli strikes devastated large areas of Beirut's southern suburbs controlled by Hezbollah, destroying the Beirut airport and affecting roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
In Israel, the impact included 300,000 people fleeing their homes to escape Hezbollah rockets. Some 2,000 homes were destroyed.
Hezbollah has a much larger arsenal than in 2006, including rockets it says can reach all areas of Israel.
It has demonstrated advances in its weaponry since October, shooting down Israeli drones, launching its own explosive drones into Israel and firing more sophisticated guided missiles.
