Military and strategic expert Brigadier General Elias Hanna said that Israel carried out the deadliest attack in the history of cyber attacks, referring to the bombing of wireless communications devices in Lebanon for the second day in a row.
Hanna explained to Tel Aviv Tribune that Israel carried out a different attack deep inside Lebanon, which affected Hezbollah’s environment and popular base, putting the latter in a critical and chaotic position.
He pointed out that Netanyahu has set the return of settlers to the north as a military goal, “therefore, he is intensifying the process of military pressure on Hezbollah in parallel with the political negotiations, in addition to weakening the party.”
The military expert warned that Israel wants to strike all of Hezbollah’s components, its steadfastness, and its ability to wage an effective war, after previously targeting military leaders and logistical sites, all the way to the fighters and the popular base.
In turn, Hezbollah has been relying on “tactical attack and strategic defense” since October 7, according to Hanna, who said that this party links the Lebanese front to the Gaza war and wants to form a deterrent system to warn Israel against coming to Lebanon.
Hanna concluded that Israel wants to leave a military division in the Gaza Strip and reduce the fighting there, focusing on the Lebanese front, after it now controls 26% of the area of the Strip, which is the border buffer zone and the Netzarim and Philadelphi axes.
The strategic expert concluded his speech by saying that Israel has historically been keen on geographical, topographical and demographic control, stressing that the message of the head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Yahya Sinwar, to the leader of the Houthis, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, comes within the framework of warning against this policy.
Earlier today, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said that “the center of gravity is shifting north and we are at the beginning of a new phase in the war,” stressing that Israel’s mission is to return its citizens to their towns in the north.
Galant revealed the transfer of forces and resources towards the northern front, adding that “the army is achieving honorable and clear achievements in cooperation with other security agencies.”
In turn, Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said that “in every stage of the war, Hezbollah will pay a greater price than it paid in the previous stage,” claiming that Israel has “many capabilities that we have not yet used and we are working on preparing plans to move forward.”
Political game
In a related topic, the military expert said that the Israeli Minister of Defense anticipated the understandings between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the head of the “National Right” party, Gideon Sa’ar, as Galant publicly announced his acceptance of the war with Lebanon to confront Netanyahu’s intention to dismiss him and appoint Sa’ar as his successor.
Hanna’s statement came in response to what was reported by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that Netanyahu and his aides informed Sa’ar of the security developments in the north and Gaza despite his lack of the necessary security clearance, with the aim of “reassuring him that Netanyahu does not intend to withdraw from the agreements that were reached.”
Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Tuesday that Netanyahu had agreed with Sa’ar to appoint him as defense minister instead of Galant, explaining that the agreement had been concluded and was only awaiting Netanyahu’s final decision to dismiss Galant.