As Israel has focused recently on attempts to assassinate Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon amidst ongoing skirmishes between the two sides, there is a new development on the matter.
“Widespread Area Occupation”
Israel has threatened, as it claims, to “occupy wide areas” in southern Lebanon if Hezbollah does not withdraw from the region, according to Channel 12 Israel.
The channel added that Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz told his French counterpart, Stéphane Séjourné, that if Hezbollah does not withdraw, Israel “will be close to a full-scale war” with it.
He continued that Israel would fight Hezbollah across Lebanon and would occupy large areas in the south of the country, keeping these areas under military control as a security zone, as he claimed.
This comes after Séjourné arrived in Israel, where he met his Israeli counterpart during a 24-hour visit in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv as part of a Middle East tour that included Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
Séjourné stated that French officials shared proposals with Israel that were presented to the Lebanese authorities to ease tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, with Paris attempting to mediate between the two sides.
Séjourné had visited Lebanon on Sunday, where he met officials, including politicians close to Hezbollah, and French officials say they found progress in the responses of the Lebanese authorities.
“Crossing North of the Litani River by a Few Kilometers”
Israel had threatened to launch a military operation on its northern front, claiming it wanted to restore calm to the border with Lebanon so that thousands of Israelis could return to the area without fear of rocket attacks.
Know about the specific provisions for Hezbollah and Israel in United Nations Security Council Resolution 170.
Meanwhile, Israeli targeting has expanded to areas a few kilometers north of the Litani River.
Since the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas on October 7, the Lebanese-Israeli border has seen nearly daily reciprocal shelling between Hezbollah and the Israeli army, resulting in hundreds of deaths in Lebanon.
In contrast, the Israeli side has counted military and civilian deaths due to fire from southern Lebanon.
In recent weeks, Israel has conducted deeper airstrikes inside Lebanese territory, targeting Hezbollah positions, which has recently increased local and international fears of an open war.
Several strikes have also been carried out on vehicles in the south as part of a plan to assassinate leaders of both Hezbollah and Hamas.
