The Israeli prime minister's goal is to “finish” Hezbollah after Hamas, creating a “safe zone” for his country's citizens in the northern direction.
Although the US and Israel are close allies, Washington has been uncomfortable with Netanyahu's insistence on continuing the Israeli military's operations against Hamas, even in Rafah, a war in the Gaza Strip that has killed 30,000 Palestinians.
Despite several attempts to secure a permanent ceasefire and the release of all Israeli hostages from Hamas, the US sees Netanyahu going it alone, ignoring the international outcry over the deaths of women and children.
But the US is concerned that Netanyahu will not stop short of ending Hamas and attack pro-Iranian Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
US: “Israel to strike with ground troops in spring against Hezbollah in Lebanon”
“Biden administration worried Israel plans to launch ground operation in Lebanon in spring, CNN reports”According to International mediaIt indicates:
“According to a report by CNN on Thursday, US government and intelligence officials said Israel is planning a ground operation in Lebanon, which could take place in the late spring or early summer, if diplomatic efforts fail to push Hezbollah from the border.
“We are operating under the assumption that there will be Israeli military action in the coming months,” a senior Biden administration official said. “Not necessarily immediately in the next few weeks, but possibly later this spring. Israeli military action is a distinct possibility.”
Earlier this week the Washington Post quoted an Iraqi official with close ties to Iranian-backed forces there. “Iran is doing everything it can to prevent the war from escalating and becoming a stalemate,” the official said.
Iran-Hezbollah say they don't want to prolong the war
A Hezbollah official summed up the message conveyed by Iranian officials at a meeting this month, indicating that the “axis of resistance” is wary as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict returns to the forefront and normalization efforts with Saudi Arabia and other countries are scrapped.
According to the same source, reports from Iran to Hezbollah suggest that “an outbreak of full-scale war between Lebanon and Israel would lead to the loss of the advantage that the 'Axis of Resistance' currently holds.”
Additionally, the report notes, “Netanyahu is now backed into a corner. Don't give him a way out. Don't give him the advantage to start a wider war, because that would make him a winner.”
Yesterday, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi commented on the situation on the northern border: “We did not expect anything, we say this, on the night of October 7th Hezbollah decided to join the war against us. We will pay a high price for this.”
“I also believe that there is no Hezbollah presence at or near the border fence. People have returned here, and if we act properly, I think more people will return here, first of all thanks to security,” Halevi continues. “The government must make every effort to bring people back here with safety and quality of life.”
Netanyahu's goal is to create “buffer zones” around Israel
Our prediction is that the Israeli prime minister will not stop after the war with Hamas ends.
His goal is to end Hezbollah as well, in order to create a “safe zone” for Israeli citizens in northern Lebanon.
It is our hope that the Israeli army will occupy the lands bordering Israel and occupy Lebanon so deeply that there is no direct threat to the lives of Israeli citizens.
We are watching.
