Netanyahu says Israel ‘preparing for broad campaign’ in the north to confront Hezbollah

DM Gallant fears that increased conflict with Hezbollah would jeopardize hostages in Gaza

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told security chiefs that Israeli defense forces are preparing for “a broad campaign of one intensity or another” on the northern front, according to Hebrew media reports.

In a meeting with security officials on Thursday night, Netanyahu told the officials: “We are in preparation for a broad campaign of one intensity or another.” The report also stated that the Security Cabinet would meet on Monday evening to discuss the next steps for Israel’s northern front, where it has faced daily incursions from Hezbollah.

Defense officials assessed that a political solution would offer limited help in restoring safety and security in the north, where over 60,000 residents have been displaced due to the ongoing Hezbollah rocket attacks.

A source familiar with the discussions told Channel 13 news that security officials would like to start a campaign quickly, however, they believe that expanding the war in the north will require reducing the number of forces in Gaza.

The report stated that while the IDF would prefer a limited operation to halt the escalation on the northern front, it is operating under the assumption that any attempt to change the strategic situation there could lead to a broader war with Hezbollah.

Following the publication of the discussion, Merom HaGalil Regional Council head Amit Sofer told Channel 13 that "after almost a year of fighting in the north, for the first time we hear that the prime minister wants to expand the attacks in Lebanon. We support any formula that will bring security to the north, bring back the residents, and keep the terrorists away from the border. I believe that only crushing the enemy will bring such calm. Now we want to see actions and not just words.”

According to a report on Saturday from the KAN news outlet, Netanyahu believes Israel could start a full-scale war against Hezbollah without diminishing the IDF’s ability to target Hamas in Gaza. However, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is reportedly concerned, believing it would be best to conclude operations in Gaza before launching a full-scale campaign against the Lebanese terror group.

Last week, Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee member, MK Nissim Vaturi, claimed that a war between the State of Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon was imminent.

“It's a matter of days when something develops – Dahiya [referring to the Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut] will look like Gaza, there's no other way,” Vaturi said in an interview with KAN radio. “Netanyahu shares the same opinion with me, so this is something that will develop in the coming days.”

Defense officials believe a war with Hezbollah could potentially be even more destructive to both Israel and Lebanon than the conflict with Hamas in Gaza, as the terror group is spread out across Lebanon and also embeds itself in civilian areas. In addition, Hezbollah also operates within many tunnels across Lebanon, including some believed to cross into Israeli territory.

The KAN report noted that U.S. officials are concerned about the effects of an Israeli war with Hezbollah, and, therefore, are investing more efforts to prevent an escalation.

Naim Qassem, the second-in-command of the Iranian-backed terror group, responded to recent comments by Gallant, saying Hezbollah had “no intention of going to war, as we consider that this would not be useful.”

“However,” Qassem continued, “if Israel does unleash a war, we will face up to it – and there will be large losses on both sides.”

Qassem rejected the idea that increased conflict would allow the return of the evacuees to their communities in the north.

“If they think such a war would allow the 100,000 displaced people to return home… we issue this warning: prepare to deal with hundreds of thousands more displaced,” Qassem stated.

On Saturday, the IAF struck several Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in the areas of Bekaa and Baalbek in Lebanon following a barrage of missiles from the terror group towards Safed over the Sabbath.

The IAF also struck Hezbollah weapons storage facilities and a military structure across seven locations in southern Lebanon.