Khaberni - The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported last night, Friday, that the Israeli government is considering conducting a military operation in Lebanon to face what it described as the "Hezbollah threat," claiming the party has managed to reorganize its ranks during the ceasefire period.
The official body stated that the discussions in Tel Aviv go beyond just air strikes and indicated that the option of a ground or extensive operation is now on the table for decision-makers, according to two sources familiar with the file.
According to the sources, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza - discussed with US President Donald Trump in Florida this week the issue of expanding the scope of military operations in Lebanon, but the US side requested a delay in making a decision.
According to the same sources, the US administration called for more time to conduct political contacts with the Lebanese government in an attempt to avoid a broad military escalation in the region.
The occupying authorities claim that Hezbollah managed to reorganize its ranks and restore part of its capabilities during the period of relative calm, while stating that the Lebanese government is incapable of curbing its activities.
Since the agreement between Israel and Hezbollah began in November 2024, Tel Aviv and Washington have been pressuring the Lebanese government to confine weapons to the hands of the state, while Hezbollah refuses to disarm and calls for the withdrawal of Israel from Lebanese territories.
For some time, Israeli media has been reporting that the Israeli army has completed preparing a plan to launch a vast attack against Hezbollah sites, in case of the failure of the Lebanese government and army to fulfill their promise to dismantle its weapons by the end of 2025.
Expected escalation
Two days ago, "Maariv" newspaper reported that the Israeli army is preparing for an expected escalation in Lebanon with the end of the deadline set for disarming Hezbollah, and it stated that Netanyahu alone has the power to stop this move.
The newspaper quoted its military analyst saying that the security establishment would present to the political level options for acting against Hezbollah, without this leading to the destruction of the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon.
The analyst added that Israel works, after any potential operation, to return to cooperating with Lebanon to implement the terms of the agreement, with encouraging the Beirut government to act more effectively against Hezbollah.
Although the ceasefire between the two sides came into effect in late November 2024, Israel carries out daily attacks on Lebanon, especially in the south of the country.
Israel killed more than 4,000 people and injured about 17,000 others during its aggression on Lebanon that began in October 2023, before it turned into a full-scale war in September 2024, which stopped with a ceasefire agreement.
It also breached the agreement more than 10,000 times, according to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries, in addition to continuing its occupation of 5 Lebanese hills it controlled in the last war, as well as other areas it has occupied for decades.
