Israel wants Hezbollah to withdraw 30 kilometers from its northern border. Hezbollah, on the other hand, is demanding an end to the Gaza war. Israel is now taking a harsh stance.
Militant statements by Israeli politicians are fueling fears of an escalation of the conflict with the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah. Nissim Vaturi, a member of parliament for the ruling Likud party, said, according to the Israeli Kan broadcaster, with regard to a possible war with Lebanon, that it was “a matter of days before something develops.” He cited four to five days of intensive air strikes followed by a ground offensive as a possible scenario.
Vaturi said that the predominantly Shiite district of Dahiah in southern Beirut would then “look like Gaza”. The member of the parliamentary committee for foreign and security policy added: “There is no other way.” He cited the ongoing shelling of northern Israel by Hezbollah as the reason. In order to bring the refugees back to northern Israel, “we have to find a solution”. Hezbollah is not prepared to withdraw from the border fence.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, there have been almost daily military confrontations between the Israeli army and Hezbollah. People have been killed in both Israel and Lebanon, and tens of thousands have fled the border region because of the fighting.
We must enter into an intensive war “to end this embarrassing game of ping-pong,” Vaturi demanded. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thinks the same. “So it is something that will develop in the next few days.”
According to an Israeli representative, Netanyahu has ordered the army to prepare “to change this situation.” Hezbollah is “Iran’s strongest arm.”
According to media reports, Israeli opposition politician Benny Gantz also said during a visit to Washington that it was time to reach a decision in the north. If this cannot be achieved through diplomacy, war would be the only solution to enable the residents of the border region to return. “We can achieve this goal, even if it means damage to the state of Lebanon itself. Unfortunately, I see no other way.”
Israel wants Hezbollah to withdraw behind the Litani River, 30 kilometers from the border – as stipulated in a UN resolution. The Shiite militia, however, will not stop shelling Israel until there is a ceasefire in the Gaza war between Israel and its ally Hamas. Despite months of efforts, a diplomatic solution is not in sight.
Source: Stern
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