Netanyahu warns of major war with Hezbollah

(JNS) — The current circumstances in the Galilee and the Golan “will not continue,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of Sunday’s weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

He called for a “change in the balance of forces on our northern border,” amid daily attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon, while pledging to do “whatever is necessary” to return evacuated residents safely to their homes.

Netanyahu spoke days after he ordered the military to prepare for a broad campaign in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed terrorist army.

His instructions were given during a special security-strategic discussion on Sept. 12 with the heads of the security establishment, including Defense Minster Yoav Gallant, along with Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.

Senior defense officials said during the meeting that a diplomatic resolution would not be enough to return the tens of thousands of displaced residents to the north. A senior Netanyahu associate stressed that no date has been set for a military operation but that it could be weeks or a few months away.

These defense officials believe that a war in the north will require a drawing down of forces fighting Hamas in Gaza.

Furthermore, the Security Cabinet is expected to meet on Monday evening to discuss the northern front.

Hezbollah warning

Meanwhile, Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s second in command, warned on Saturday that an all-out war could lead to the displacement of “hundreds of thousands” of additional Israelis.

“There is no plan to initiate a war, but the expansion of aggression on the part of Israel will be met with a response,” the terrorist group’s deputy secretary-general was quoted as saying in a speech in Beirut.

“We have no intention of going to war, as we consider that this would not be useful,” he continued.

“However, if Israel does unleash a war, we will face up to it—and there will be large losses on both sides. If they think such a war would allow the 100,000 displaced people to return home …, we issue this warning: Prepare to deal with hundreds of thousands more displaced,” Qassem said.

Biden envoy arriving to region

U.S. presidential envoy Amos Hochstein is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Monday to discuss the escalating tensions with Hezbollah as Biden administration officials express increasing concern about Israeli plans for a military operation to restore calm to the northern border.

During his visit, Hochstein is expected to meet with Netanyahu, Gallant and other senior officials. 

U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said during a briefing on Friday that Hochstein’s trip was part of the administration’s ongoing efforts to avoid an escalation and a wider regional war.

“Amos’s trips are a continuation of the diplomacy he has conducted for many months to prevent a second front. It’s part of ongoing efforts by the administration and the team to prevent escalation and the spread of this conflict,” Kirby said.

A senior American official last week backed Israel’s stance on the conditions required to end the conflict affecting northern Israel, stating, “We cannot return to the status quo of Oct. 6. A ceasefire with Lebanon alone is not enough, because Hezbollah will return to the border.”

The American official spoke at the Middle East-America Dialogue conference in Washington, which concluded on Monday. He emphasized that to prevent a scenario in which Israel faces an invasion from the Lebanese border, “an agreement is needed that will prevent Hezbollah’s return to the border.”

He added that beyond the security arrangements at the border, additional components are necessary in the agreement to ensure its enforcement and implementation—unlike U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 adopted at the end of the 2006 Second Lebanon War, which, according to him, “both sides failed to implement.”

The American official said that a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah can be prevented, but if it breaks out, the price will be heavy for both sides.

“Thousands, maybe tens of thousands, will die. There will be severe infrastructure damage. On your side [Israel], Hezbollah won’t be easily destroyed, and you likely won’t achieve most of your objectives. The war will last a long time, and many people on both sides will die. The residents of northern Israel won’t be returning home anytime soon, and such a war will eventually end with an agreement similar to the one we are now trying to reach. That’s why we are working to secure this agreement now.”

Hezbollah fires 40 rockets, drone at northern Israel

Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets and an explosives-laden drone from Lebanon at the Galilee Panhandle and Golan Heights on Sunday morning.

There were no reports of injuries, but the rockets sparked fires, which crews were working to put out.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the barrage, saying that it had targeted an Israeli military base with dozens of Katyusha rockets in response to IDF strikes in Lebanon, including an alleged drone strike on Saturday near Sidon.

The Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar reported on Sunday morning on Israeli artillery attacks on several sites in Southern Lebanon.

The IDF said on Saturday night that the Israeli Air Force had struck Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in the Beqaa and Baalbek areas, located deep inside Lebanon.

Additionally, the IAF attacked Hezbollah weapons storage facilities and a military structure in seven areas in Southern Lebanon, according to the IDF.