TOP SHOT – Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Zivkin, southern Lebanon, on June 12, 2024.
Kaunat Hajju | AFP | Getty Images
The Israeli military has authorised attacks on Lebanon after a surge in cross-border shelling, with talk of “total war” stoking fears the Gaza conflict could spread across the Middle East.
The Israeli military said on Tuesday night that IDF commanders had “approved and reviewed the operational plan for an attack on Lebanon and a decision had been made to continue enhancing the readiness of forces in the country,” but did not say whether the plan included mobilizing forces to the neighboring country.
Hezbollah, which controls much of Israel and Lebanon, has been fighting since October in tandem with the Jewish state’s war against Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran, and the Lebanese group has expressed solidarity with the plight of the Palestinians. More than 37,000 people have been killed since the offensive began, according to local health ministry figures.
Hostilities escalated after the Israel Defense Forces reported last week that an Israeli military strike killed senior Hezbollah commander Sami Taleb Abdullah and three other group operatives in the southern Lebanese village of Juayya. Just Wednesday morning, Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV news reported that the group had launched a missile attack targeting Israeli military positions in Metula, Israel, according to Google Translate. CNBC could not independently verify the report.
The IDF announcement came after Hezbollah’s. A nine-minute video was released The group released aerial footage it claims was taken by a surveillance drone. It says the area shown in the footage covers 6.5 square kilometers (2.5 square miles) of Israeli territory, 24 kilometers (about 15 miles) off the Lebanese-Palestinian border, and includes the port of Haifa and the military base and Rafael military facility. CNBC was unable to verify the footage and has contacted the IDF regarding its authenticity.
The video sparked fear and anger in Israel, with Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav describing it as “psychological terrorism against the residents of Haifa and the north,” according to Reuters.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz said in a social media update. He said the country is now “very close to a decision moment to change the rules vis-à-vis Hezbollah and Lebanon. In an all-out war, Hezbollah would be destroyed and Lebanon would suffer a heavy blow.”
Katz acknowledged that heavy losses could be inflicted on Israel, which is fighting a parallel battle with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and that there is growing international pressure to limit Palestinian civilian casualties.
“The State of Israel will pay a price on the front lines and at home, but with a strong and united nation and the full strength of the IDF, we will restore security to the people of the north,” the foreign minister said.
“We would like to remind you that according to the United Nations, there is no territorial dispute between Lebanon and Israel,” said Israeli government spokesman David Mensah. At a press conference on Tuesday“Whether diplomatically or militarily, we will ensure the safe and secure return of Israelis to their homes in northern Israel. This is non-negotiable.”
Security concerns have led thousands of Lebanese and Israeli civilians to flee their border settlements.
“The Greater War”
The two neighbors have been in a nominal UN-brokered ceasefire since a 34-day war in 2006. The United States, which sees Israeli-Lebanese ties as intertwined with a possible ceasefire in Gaza, has sought to de-escalate hostilities. Senior U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein met with Israeli and Lebanese leaders earlier this week.
“Let me be clear: the conflict along the Blue Line [of demarcation] “We’ve had enough of tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.” Hochstein said at a press conference on Tuesday.During a visit to Beirut.
He stressed the White House’s ambition to avoid the conflict spilling over into a broader war, saying, “The conversations I had in Beirut today and in Israel yesterday indicate that the situation is serious, that we have seen an escalation over the past few weeks, [U.S.] president [Joe] “What Biden wants is to avoid escalation into another war. That’s the effort here.”
Lebanon has since sought to distance itself from the hostilities.
“Lebanon does not want escalating tensions. What is needed is an end to Israel’s continuous aggression in Lebanon and a restoration of calm and stability on its southern border,” Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said in his meeting with Hochstein, according to Google Translate. A statement released by his office.
