By Kyle Anzalone – Antiwar.com
Israeli officials say Tel Aviv is preparing for an all-out war in Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah. Washington is concerned such a conflict would drag in the US, and the White House is attempting to prevent the hostilities from expanding.
On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) posted a statement on its X account saying that top commanders had signed off on battle plans for an offensive in Lebanon. “The Commanding Officer of the Northern Command and the Head of the Operations Directorate approved operational plans,” the IDF wrote. “Plans for an offensive in Lebanon were approved and validated, and decisions were taken on the continuation of increasing the readiness of troops in the field.”
Following the Hamas attack on October 7, the IDF began tit-for-tat raids along the Israel-Lebanon border. As the conflict has ground on, both sides have escalated their operations, with Israel carrying out assassinations and strikes deeper inside Lebanon in recent weeks. Hezbollah has responded by launching larger missile volleys at Israel.
Over the past day, Hezbollah has not attacked any targets in northern Israel, while Tel Aviv has pummeled sites around Tyre, Lebanon. It is speculated that the lack of Hezbollah strikes is because the organization is observing a unilateral ceasefire to mark the Eid al-Adha holiday.
US officials said the increased fighting has the White House concerned Israel will drag the US into a wider war in the Middle East. Washington dispatched the deputy assistant to President Biden, Amos Hochstein, to Israel and Lebanon to try to quell the tensions.
However, Hochstein apparently failed to find any practical solution to the violence that has killed nearly 500 in Lebanon and 26 in Israel in recent months. The US official suggested that once a ceasefire is achieved in Gaza, then fighting would fizzle out on Israel’s northern border.
President Biden admitted last week that a ceasefire deal in Gaza is unlikely anytime soon. Additionally, a senior Israeli official told the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth that the IDF plans to continue operations in Gaza after Rafah is destroyed.
Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, said that Tel Aviv was near to a decision to go to war, warning that the conflict would destroy Hezbollah but also cause destruction in Lebanon and Israel. “We are very close to the moment of decision to change the rules against Hezbollah and Lebanon. In an all-out war, Hezbollah will be destroyed and Lebanon will be severely hit,” he posted on X. “The State of Israel will pay a price on the front and home fronts, but with a strong and united nation, and the full power of the IDF, we will restore security to the residents of the north.”
The FM also referenced a video published by Hezbollah showing potential sensitive Israeli targets, such as ports and missile defense sites.