A “limited combat” in Lebanon or a” tiny local war” are both alternatives that the Biden administration made obvious to Israel because it would be difficult to stop them from growing.
The US issued a warning about a situation where pro-Iran militants ‘ armies would encircle Lebanon in Syria, Iraq, and even Yemen.
In recent days, the Biden administration warned Israel against the idea of a “limited battle” being waged in Lebanon and warned that an intervention by Iran might be stifled by this. Two senior American officers and an Jewish national both provided briefings on the discussions.
Why it’s important:
- The Army and the government have been calling for a major expansion of the fighting against Hezbollah because the fire change that has been occurring between Israel and Hezbollah, which has been occurring since October 7, has dramatically increased in the last two months.
- According to senior Israeli and American officials, the Army and the Defense Ministry are becoming more and more concerned about the turning point of Lebanon. The US and France have made efforts to resolve the boundary conflicts diplomatically, but they have not still made progress.
- The Biden administration’s main objectives were to stop the battle in Gaza from extending into a much wider geographical conflict by preventing an all-out conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that could lead to widespread damage in Lebanon and Israel.
- Without a cease-fire in Gaza, the Biden presidency believes it will be impossible to bring harmony to the Israeli-Lebanon borders.
In the media centre:
- For the past eight times, Israel and Hezbollah have been regularly escalating along the borders. Many of the Jewish communities close to the border are deserted.
- More than 60, 000 Israelis who were evacuated from the place on October 8 after Hezbollah began to attack north Israel have not yet returned to their houses.
- Both parties have expanded the scope of their problems in recent months. Up to 50 kilometers from the frontier, Hezbollah launched drones and missiles at defense installations.
- Hezbollah problems and the country’s notoriously warm weather earlier this week sparked massive bush fires that lasted for more than 48 hours to kill in northern Israel.
- The War Cabinet convened for an emergency meeting on Tuesday nights because of the rising public criticism of the government over the North’s retention war.
The big picture:
- According to a top security official, the condition has been worse since May because Hezbollah was able to launch successful attacks against Israeli goals with UAVs that the IDF was unable to catch.
- At the same time, Hezbollah began launching” Burkan” rockets with warheads of 1, 000- 500 pounds of violent stuff, which caused large destruction to IDF bases along the border.
What they say:
- According to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, the US is still “deeply concerned about the risk of anescalation along the Israel-Lebanese border.”
- To try to stop this conflict from escalating beyond control, he said,” We are engaged in intensive diplomatic talks and diplomatic negotiations.”
- Miller continued,” Israel has consistently told us privately and publicly that their preferred approach to this conflict is diplomatic.”
What next:
- No decisions were made at the War Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, but an Israeli senior official said the IDF offered several options for boosting the fighting, including a ground invasion to drive Hezbollah’s Radwan force away from the border.
- He emphasized that the political echelon had given the IDF instructions since October 7 to concentrate on putting an end to Hamas in Gaza and avoid starting a war in Lebanon. According to the Israeli official, this policy change may have a significant impact.
- A war with Hezbollah or a limited operation in Lebanon, according to the Israeli official, would have “enormous consequences for Israel,” and it would most likely result in an accord like the one Israel and Lebanon are currently trying to reach.
- ” We need to understand this before making decisions”, said the Israeli official.
