A “limited combat” in Lebanon or a” small local war” are both alternatives that the Biden administration made obvious to Israel because they would be difficult to stop them from growing, according to the presidency.
The US issued a warning about a situation where pro-Iran militias ‘ armies would encircle Lebanon in Syria, Iraq, and even Yemen.
The Biden presidency warned Israel in recent months against the idea of a “limited battle” being waged in Lebanon and warned that such a course of action might lead to an Iranian intervention. This is what two senior American officers and an Israeli national briefed on the discussions told Walla.
Why it’s important:
- The Army and the government have been calling for a major expansion of the fighting against Hezbollah because the fire exchange that has been occurring since October 7 has dramatically increased in the last two days.
- Older American and Israeli officials claimed that the Army and the Defense Ministry are becoming more and more concerned about how the condition in Lebanon is turning around. 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 fighting in Gaza from extending into a far wider geographical conflict by preventing an all-out conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that could cause 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 weeks, the fire trade between Israel and Hezbollah along the border has been gradually escalating. Many of the Jewish settlements close to the border are deserted.
- More than 60, 000 Israelis who were evacuated from the place on October 8 have not yet returned to their houses.
- Both parties have expanded the scope of their problems in subsequent months. Up to 50 kilometers from the frontier, Hezbollah launched robots and missiles at military installations.
- Hezbollah problems and the country’s notoriously warm wind earlier this week sparked massive bush fires that lasted for more than 48 hours to kill in northern Israel.
- An emergency meeting of the War Cabinet on Tuesday evening was sparked by the public’s outcry against the state over the churn battle in the North and the government’s growing common criticism of the government over the conflict there.
The big picture:
- According to a top security official, the condition has been escalating 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 Army 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 been claiming to us privately for a long time- and they have also stated this publicly- that their preferred solution 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 elite had told the IDF to concentrate on putting an end to Hamas in Gaza and to avoid a war in Lebanon since October 7 and that the IDF had received instructions from the top level. 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.
