Israel may start a ground war in southern Lebanon against the Hezbollah group, as writes the British edition of “The Times”.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) is seeking to push back Hezbollah forces to the Litani River, about 20 kilometers from the Israeli border. Israel is concerned that the north of the country could suffer from an attack similar to the one on October 7.
“What happened in the south is nothing compared to what they can do here. Israelʼs doctrine is to shift the war to the other side,” a senior Israeli army officer told “The Times”.
The Israeli government is currently debating how big of a threat Hezbollah is to the country. Israelʼs Defense Minister Yoav Gallant believes that the country should continue to strengthen deterrence in the north. This month, Gallant announced that Hezbollah was to move its forces north of the Litani River. The day before, on December 17, Gallant again stated that Israel wants to strengthen its northern border.
"We want to restore peace, and we will do it by agreement or by force, with all the consequences that come with that," Gallant noted.
- Israel and Hezbollah went to war in 2006. More than 1 200 Lebanese and more than 160 Israelis died then. The fighting lasted a month.
- The Iran-backed Hezbollah group has attacked the Israeli border dozens of times since the Hamas attack and during the Gaza war.