Israel believes battle in Lebanon is approaching, but timing not yet decided

An Israeli security official said on Sunday that the battle in Lebanon is approaching, but its exact timing has not yet been decided, Channel 12 has reported. The anonymous official added that Israel has two options: either reaching an agreement to end the war in Gaza or the collapse of negotiations and the rapid outbreak of a large-scale war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

He claimed that if the occupation state opts to end the war in Gaza, it can choose its preferred timing to launch an attack against Hezbollah in the future, when the army is prepared and ready to do so. If the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues in its current form, Israel will be “forced” to launch military action sooner, under perhaps unprepared conditions.

The army, he pointed out, is in the final stages of its preparations for “any scenario” and noted that, “The extent of the preparations indicates the seriousness of Israeli intentions and the awareness that the upcoming battle is likely to be complex.”

According to Channel 12, the Israeli government has decided not to escalate the level of fighting with Hezbollah at the present time. Nevertheless, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet yesterday that Hezbollah in Lebanon is “Iran’s strongest arm”. He pointed out that he had instructed the Israeli army and all security services to prepare to change this situation. “The current situation cannot continue, and the government is committed to returning all residents of the north to their homes safely.”

The security official said that he believes that Hezbollah has suffered significant damage, and that the ability of its Radwan unit to carry out an invasion has been curtailed. “Israeli attacks have led to the retreat of most of the Radwan forces beyond the Litani River.”

However, the same official expects that after a major opening strike in a war against Lebanon, northern Israel would continue to be exposed to rocket fire, because Hezbollah still has tens of thousands of projectiles. There would also probably be an escalation on other fronts, especially the occupied Golan Heights area and the possibility of infiltration attempts there.

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