Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes on villages in the Nabatiyeh district of south Lebanon, on September 23. (AP)
The former Israeli cabinet minister claims an all-out war on Lebanon would achieve the Israeli goal of returning settlers to the occupied North.
The Israeli National Unity chairman Benny Gantz has declared that “Israel” should not only act “against Hezbollah but also against the sovereign state of Lebanon,” claiming it “bears responsibility for terrorism emanating from its territory.”
According to the former war cabinet minister, “Israel” has two options for moving forward and returning settlers to the occupied north: either reach an agreement to deter Hezbollah or “continue the offensive, including entering on the ground if necessary.”
Meanwhile, Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday that he discussed the regional situation with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, as well as the IOF’s upcoming operations against Hezbollah.
“Spoke yesterday [Sunday] evening with US Secretary of Defense following my visit to the IDF’s Northern Command. Provided the Secretary with a situation assessment of Hezbollah threats and briefed him on IDF operations to degrade Hezbollah’s ability to launch attacks against Israeli civilians,” Gallant said on X.
Gallant and Austin discussed the general situation of the region, including threats by Iran and its “proxies.”
On the other hand, former Israeli Air Force commander Brig.-Gen. (res.) Zvika Haimovich highlighted the extent of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s current failure in military strategy against Hezbollah in a Sunday interview for Maariv.
He noted that “Israel’s” recent strikes on the movement do not align with the government’s objectives to restore stability in the North.
Hezbollah has vowed that the north would not be safe for the return of its settlers.
In a televised speech on Thursday, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned that the Israeli actions would only further exacerbate the displacement of settlers from the north and reduce the possibility of their return.
“What you are doing will increase the displacement of your displaced settlers from the north and will bar the opportunity of their return,” he warned.
Nasrallah noted that the mobilization of Israeli forces in the north highlights the “grave threat it faces on this front,” which he described as one of the most important fronts in the ongoing regional war of attrition.
Al Mayadeen
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.