Israeli security officials are increasingly concerned that Iran could seek to escalate tensions across multiple fronts, as Hezbollah reportedly strengthens its military readiness in Lebanon and Hamas attempts to rebuild its offensive capabilities in the Gaza Strip.
According to the Israeli newspaper Maariv, Israel’s security establishment believes Tehran may attempt to disrupt the Israeli election campaign by creating a wider regional security crisis. However, the newspaper acknowledged that no confirmed intelligence currently supports this assessment.
The newspaper also reported receiving information suggesting that Iran had instructed Hezbollah to raise its level of readiness for a potential confrontation with Israel.
Hezbollah Reportedly Expands Military Preparations in Lebanon
Israeli journalist Avi Ashkenazi, writing in Maariv on Friday, cited Lebanese sources describing a series of measures allegedly being undertaken by Hezbollah in preparation for a possible confrontation.
These preparations reportedly include recruiting new members and establishing defensive systems in several areas across Lebanon’s valley region, along the Mediterranean coast, in Beirut’s southern suburbs and in other locations.
According to the Lebanese sources cited by the newspaper, Hezbollah could potentially launch an attack against Israeli forces stationed inside Lebanon.
Possible scenarios reportedly being considered include targeting an Israeli military guard, attacking an army patrol or attempting to capture Israeli soldiers.
The newspaper suggested that concerns about renewed military activity extend beyond Hezbollah, with Israeli security officials also monitoring developments involving Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Israel Accuses Iran of Seeking to Unite Regional Fronts
An Israeli military source quoted by Maariv accused Iran of orchestrating what he described as media disinformation and deliberately generating security tensions across the region.
The source argued that the resulting uncertainty forces the Israeli military to maintain heightened alert levels for prolonged periods, placing additional pressure on its operational resources.
According to the source, this situation serves Tehran’s interests by compelling Israel to remain on constant military alert, even without a confirmed imminent attack.
He further claimed that Iran’s wider objective is to unify the various regional fronts confronting Israel, potentially transforming separate security challenges into a coordinated regional confrontation.
The Israeli military is reportedly monitoring developments in Iran, Lebanon and Gaza closely as part of its assessment of potential threats.
Hamas Attempts to Rebuild Maritime Offensive Capabilities
In the Gaza Strip, Maariv reported that the Israeli military recently identified efforts by Hamas’s naval forces to construct high-speed boats.
According to the newspaper, these efforts form part of Hamas’s continuing attempts to rebuild its offensive capabilities despite extensive Israeli military operations targeting the movement’s infrastructure.
The report stated that Israeli forces had damaged Hamas’s maritime capabilities and weakened its capacity for domestic weapons production.
Nevertheless, Hamas reportedly continues to pursue the development of an offensive force, including capabilities that could support future maritime operations.
The newspaper described the current Israeli military approach, conducted in cooperation with the Shin Bet internal security agency, as a strategy of “mowing the grass”.
Under this approach, Israeli forces conduct repeated operations against perceived threats without fundamentally dismantling the wider structures that sustain them.
The newspaper argued that such operations target immediate threats without addressing their underlying foundations, allowing Iran to continue pursuing its regional activities.
Yemen, the Strait of Hormuz and the West Bank
Ashkenazi’s analysis also connected Israeli security concerns to developments involving the Houthis in Yemen, Iranian activities around the Strait of Hormuz and alleged Iranian efforts to influence Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The newspaper referred to the Houthis in Yemen, including a claim that they occupy Saudi Arabia, while presenting their activities as part of the wider regional challenges associated with Iran.
It also alleged that Iranian activities in the Strait of Hormuz are intended to interfere with freedom of navigation and exert international economic pressure by driving up global oil prices.
In the occupied West Bank, the newspaper accused Tehran of continuing efforts to influence young Palestinians and encourage them to carry out attacks against Israeli targets.
According to Maariv, the Israeli military has reported an increase in intelligence warnings concerning potential attacks in the West Bank in recent weeks.
However, the newspaper claimed that daily operations conducted by the Shin Bet and soldiers from the Israeli military’s West Bank Division and 98th Division have prevented several planned attacks by identifying and apprehending suspects before they could act.
The report cited an operation conducted the previous day by members of the Israeli military’s Duvdevan unit in cooperation with the Shin Bet.
During the operation, Israeli forces reportedly arrested an individual whom the newspaper described as a terrorist associated with an armed organisation that had been dismantled in Jenin.
The detainee was accused of involvement in smuggling weapons for the organisation.
Israel Threatens to Seize More Lebanese Territory if Hezbollah Joins Iran
In Lebanon, the Israeli military remains on maximum alert, according to Maariv, as Defence Minister Israel Katz has outlined a potential military response to Hezbollah joining a confrontation between Iran and Israel.
Speaking on Tuesday, Katz warned that Hezbollah would face severe consequences if it participated in an Iranian attack against Israel.
He threatened that Hezbollah would suffer a powerful military strike and that Lebanon would lose additional territory in the south.
According to the statements cited by the newspaper, Katz identified Nabatieh and an area referred to in the report as al-Halitani as territories that could be incorporated into what he described as Israel’s permanent security zone.
Katz further claimed that the Israeli military was prepared to carry out the necessary ground manoeuvre to implement such a plan.
His threats extended beyond southern Lebanon to Beirut’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah maintains a substantial presence.
The Israeli defence minister warned that Beirut’s Dahiyeh district would be evacuated and that infrastructure he described as terrorist facilities would be targeted.
According to the statements carried by the newspaper, such operations would result in the displacement of more than one million Shia Muslims in Lebanon.
The remarks outlined the possibility of a major expansion of Israeli military operations inside Lebanon, including further territorial seizures and large-scale civilian displacement, should Hezbollah enter a renewed confrontation alongside Iran.
Israeli Security Establishment Seeks to Prevent Election Disruption
Ashkenazi concluded that Iran is attempting to generate a regional security crisis that could undermine stability inside Israel during its election campaign.
From the perspective presented in his analysis, Tehran’s alleged strategy involves maintaining pressure through several interconnected fronts, forcing Israel to divert resources towards military readiness while confronting uncertainty about potential attacks.
The Israeli military’s stated objective, according to the newspaper, is to avoid being drawn into the wider confrontation while strengthening deterrence against Iran and allied movements.
The ultimate aim, the analysis argued, is to preserve normal political life inside Israel and ensure that elections proceed without disruption from Iran or groups aligned with Tehran.
However, the newspaper’s own acknowledgement that there is currently no confirmed intelligence establishing an Iranian plan to interfere with the elections leaves the central allegation as an Israeli security assessment rather than a verified Iranian strategy.
