The Lebanese front against Israel is becoming more important due to the intensification of the escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, which has reached a level that made the Israeli army – as revealed by Israeli Channel 12 – recommend ending the Rafah operation in the southern Gaza Strip.
In his comment on what was revealed by the Israeli channel, the military and strategic expert, Brigadier General Elias Hanna, ruled out the Israeli occupation going into a comprehensive confrontation with the Lebanese Hezbollah, because it is drowning in the sands of Gaza and did not achieve the goals it set when it launched the war, most notably the elimination of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). And the release of Israeli prisoners held by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza.
Brigadier General Hanna said – in his speech to the episode (6/14/2024) of the program “Gaza… What Next?” – that Israel is unable to resolve the Gaza front, and is subject to a process of attrition by the Palestinian resistance, and therefore it is not ready to open a new front. With Lebanon, neither on the logistical level nor on the internal and external levels.
The northern front also imposed new equations on the occupation, including the method of fighting and the buffer zone in northern Israel, as is the case in the Gaza envelope, which has never happened in the history of Israel.
The senior researcher at the Tel Aviv Tribune Center for Studies, Dr. Liqaa Makki, shared the same idea, saying that it is difficult for Israel, especially from a military standpoint, to enter into a comprehensive war with Lebanon, anticipating an escalation between the occupation and Hezbollah.
However, Dr. Makki pointed out that Israel cannot bear the survival of Hezbollah’s military arsenal, and this will only be achieved with a military decision.
Although the American administration does not want a comprehensive war in the Middle East, it may agree to Israel’s desire in exchange for the latter’s approval of the deal to end the war in Gaza.
He believed that Washington wants to restore Israel’s deterrent power and deter Hezbollah, but prefers to postpone the battle until after the war on Gaza.
For his part, academic and expert on Israeli affairs, Dr. Muhannad Mustafa, said that Israel lacks international legitimacy that would enable it to enter into a comprehensive war with Hezbollah, indicating that there is a deep debate within Israel about the possibility of waging this war.
The dispute is taking place between two Israeli factions – adds the academic and expert – the first has reservations about the issue of entering into a comprehensive war with Hezbollah, including former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and they realize that the war will have major repercussions and losses, especially on the army and the economy.
Israeli media reported what they described as the largest attack launched by Hezbollah on Thursday, using drones, missiles and shells on several Israeli targets, noting that these attacks forced two hundred thousand Israelis to go to shelters and caused at least 15 fires to break out in different areas. .