The Israeli newspaper “Haaretz” revealed on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, that the stance within the Israeli army contradicts the statements made by Chief of Staff Hertzi Halevi during his tour in the north, where he said that Tel Aviv is preparing to escalate against Hezbollah.
Haaretz quoted sources in the Israeli army as saying that “the fires that have spread in the Golan Heights and Galilee in the past few days have led to a change in the Israeli army’s position from a comprehensive war on Lebanon to a possible limited-time war in the south only.”
The army is concerned with aligning the objectives of any war on Lebanon with its current situation after 8 months of battles in Gaza, according to army sources, indicating significant human losses suffered at the hands of the resistance.
Army sources confirmed their fear that Israelis are unaware of the consequences of any potential war with Hezbollah on the home front, as Hezbollah’s shelling during an open war would lead to significant damage in the north and central Israel, not to mention the war in Gaza.
The army sources also fear the possibility that a comprehensive war on Lebanon could open up other fronts against Iran, the Houthis, and militias in Syria, broader than the current situation. Therefore, the army is prepared in case the political level requests the commencement of a war on Lebanon, having prepared plans for a limited-time war in southern Lebanon only.
A warning against escalation
Meanwhile, an official Hebrew channel stated on Tuesday that the United States has called on Israel not to escalate with Hezbollah before completing a potential deal to exchange prisoners with Hamas.
This came according to what the “Kan” channel, affiliated with the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (official), reported amid increasing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israeli firefighting teams continue their efforts to extinguish fires in Kiryat Netafim and forests in the Biriya area near the city of Safed in the Upper Galilee (north), which erupted due to the debris of interceptor missiles targeting drones launched by Hezbollah earlier on Tuesday.
Haaretz said, “In all the fires that broke out in the Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights (occupied Syrian) in recent days, the fires ignited as a result of rockets and drones launched from Lebanon, spreading quickly due to strong winds.”
Following these fires, Israeli Chief of Staff Hertzi Halevi claimed that Tel Aviv is “ready” to attack Hezbollah, nearing a decision, according to the Israeli army via its website.
In turn, the political correspondent for the Hebrew channel, Amihai Steinhart, said that a senior official in the US administration (unnamed) informed him that Washington requested Israel not to escalate the situation with Hezbollah.
He noted that this is not the first time the US administration has made such a request to Tel Aviv in recent months.
He added: “But there is a main reason this time for this request, as we are now in the days preceding the possibility of reaching a deal to release the detainees.”
He explained that “there is a hypothesis that a possible ceasefire in Gaza could affect the fighting in the north and may also lead to a ceasefire there.”
The political correspondent added: “So the Americans ask Israel not to escalate the situation on the northern borders, given the possibility of reaching a ceasefire agreement and perhaps a political settlement with Lebanon.”
He said that French President Emmanuel Macron also informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the necessity of not escalating the situation with Hezbollah.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office posted on his “X” platform account on Tuesday evening said, “The Prime Minister briefed the President (Macron) on the details of the plan to release the detainees, and confirmed that the plan allows Israel to achieve all the objectives of the war as defined, including eliminating the Hamas movement.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Hamas official Osama Hamdan said at a press conference in the Lebanese capital Beirut that the movement informed intermediaries that it will not conclude any agreement with Israel regarding the prisoner exchange unless there is a clear stance from Tel Aviv ready to permanently stop the war and withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
US President Joe Biden previously revealed on Friday a proposal offered to Israel in three stages, including a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of detainees, and the reconstruction of the sector.
Israel has not made a final position regarding Biden’s statements, but Netanyahu described what the US President offered as “inaccurate,” saying in press statements on Monday that he did not agree to end the war in the second stage of the proposal, but only “discuss” that step according to Tel Aviv’s conditions.
Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7 last year with full American support, leaving over 119,000 Palestinians dead or injured, most of them children and women, and about 10,000 missing amid massive destruction and famine claiming the lives of children and the elderly.
Israel continues this war ignoring a Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cessation of fighting, and orders from the court to stop its attack on Rafah, and take immediate measures to prevent “genocide” and “improve the humanitarian situation” in Gaza.
