Israel warns of military escalation against Hezbollah

Israel's defense minister warned that Tel Aviv's military would push Hezbollah back from the border area if Lebanon did not act.

"The situation on Israel's northern border must change. The time for a diplomatic solution is running out. If the world and the Lebanese government do not act to stop the shelling of residential areas in northern Israel and pull Hezbollah away from the border area, the Israeli army will do it," Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on December 27.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it targeted fire sources from Lebanon after an air raid siren sounded in Rosh HaNikra, northwest Israel.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz at a press conference on November 29. Photo: Times of Israel

Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, IDF Chief of Staff, said the Israeli military was "very ready" to deal with the increased fighting in the north. "Our first task is to restore security and a sense of safety to the people in the north. This will take time," he said.

During a visit to the area near the border on December 27, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Tel Aviv could target Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, a move that would almost certainly trigger a larger conflict with the armed group.

"We still try to prioritize a diplomatic solution. If it doesn't work, all other options are on the table," he said.

Comments by Israeli officials have raised fears that the conflict in the Gaza Strip will spill over into a regional conflict.

Location of Israel and Lebanon. Graphic: AFP

Fighting on the Israel-Lebanon border has displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides. On the Israeli side, at least four civilians and nine soldiers have been killed. More than 100 people have been killed in Lebanon, mostly Hezbollah members but also civilians and journalists.

Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim militant group, controls parts of the capital Beirut, southern Lebanon and much of the Beqaa Valley. Funded by Iran, it is one of the most heavily armed non-state military forces in the world.

In 2006, full-scale war broke out between Hezbollah and Israel after the militant group carried out a border raid, prompting Tel Aviv to send troops into southern Lebanon. Fighting stopped after a UN-brokered ceasefire took effect in mid-August 2006 and officially ended in early September of that year when Israel lifted its naval blockade of Lebanon.

Thanh Tam (According to CNN, Al Jazeera, BBC )

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/israel-canh-bao-leo-thang-quan-su-chong-hezabollah-4694658.html