Israel’s attacks on Lebanon have resulted in the assassinations of Hezbollah commanders and fighters, as well as hundreds of civilian graves.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, announced today that the Israeli army will continue to attack Hezbollah in Lebanon, while the exchange of fire on the border continues. “We will continue to attack Hezbollah. And I say to the people of Lebanon: our war is not against you, it is against Hezbollah,” Netanyahu said in a video message released by his office.
However, according to analysts, unlike the campaign against Hamas in Gaza, Israel’s goal is not so much to eliminate its enemy as to force it to retreat.
Such a development would avoid the need for an invasion of Lebanon and would allow some 65,000 Israelis displaced from the border area to return to their homes.
“All our actions must be aimed at creating conditions that will allow northern residents to return to their homes,” Halevi stressed.
Not just an invasion, but also a stay
“Unlike airstrikes that end within a few hours, when you invade you are forced to remain in the area for at least a few weeks,” he said. Yora Eiland, a retired Israeli army general and former national security adviser, in a related Bloomberg report, implying that the Gaza front would be weakened.
On the contrary, by exerting military pressure on the Hezbollah leadership could lead to a diplomatic solution, according to an expert familiar with Israeli strategy. Such a development has long been promoted by the US, with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin holding regular talks with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallad.
Ensure no invasion of Israel
Another objective would be to ensure that Hezbollah’s highly trained Radwan Force does not have the means to invade Israel along the lines of the unprecedented October 7 attack carried out by Hamas.
It is far from clear at present to what extent Israel will restrain its campaign in Lebanon. Military generals say they have caused significant damage to Hezbollah’s missile arsenal in recent days.
While this may be the case, there are There is little sign that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah will agree to withdraw his men and weapons from Israel.
Israel maybe “has not yet decided how far to raise the bar and whether to opt for a full-scale war”wrote commentator Ariel Kahana in the right-wing newspaper Israel Hayom on Tuesday.
He called for more aggressive Israeli action if necessary, a position widely held and supported by the government.
“Even if we have to launch rockets into central Israel, when we recover at the end of the war, we will be able to do so with our heads held high, having eliminated the threat from Hezbollah.”
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