Israeli media reported on Monday that Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz has rejected a settlement proposal with Lebanon, stating that his country will not agree to a ceasefire. The Israeli Broadcasting Authority relayed statements from Katz, who confirmed the rejection of the settlement proposal with Hezbollah, emphasizing that “the only way to reach an agreement is to move Hezbollah north of the Litani River and disarm it.”
Katz believes that “the full implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions concerning Lebanon is the way to a ceasefire.”
Earlier, the Israeli news site “Walla” reported, citing Israeli security officials, that there is “a consensus at both the political and military levels that a ground invasion of Lebanon is a matter of time.”
The site quoted a security source who confirmed that “forces are concentrated on the northern front and are preparing for a ground entry into Lebanon, with new operational plans being made to enact changes in southern Lebanon and the region.” The source added, “We are collecting intelligence information on Hezbollah’s preparations, especially the Radwan Force, before the ground entry.”
This comes amid heightened tensions in the region, specifically in Lebanon, where last Saturday, Hezbollah announced the death of its secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, in an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburb of Beirut.
