Concerns over escalation between Israel and Hezbollah
The situation remains tense on the Lebanon-Israel border. Israel has been saying it is preparing for a wider conflict. There is a lot of concern that the situation, which is still largely contained, could expand and widen into a much larger war.
What Hezbollah has been trying to do in recent weeks is to gradually unveil its new arsenal and show its capabilities. This is part of its strategy of deterrence. It is also part of a strategy to avoid an escalation of this war. Hezbollah says it doesn’t want a wider conflict, that it opened this front to help support Gaza, but that it is prepared in case of escalation.
Hezbollah’s secretary-general has boasted that they have a surplus of fighters, a surplus of weapons, and they too are manufacturing their own drones.
The US media has been quoting US officials as saying that they are concerned that the Iron Dome, the air defence missile system of the Israelis will be overwhelmed in the event of an escalation, and that heavier missiles and rockets will be able to breach the Iron Dome system in the north of Israel.
Ending war in Gaza key to settlement with Hezbollah: Retired Israeli general
Israel Ziv says ending the war in Gaza is key to reaching a settlement with Hezbollah, Israeli Channel 12 reports.
Here are some other points the retired Israeli general made:
- The pressure on reserve forces has become unbearable and the political situation is dangerous and deteriorating.
- There’s a growing confidence crisis among the public and difficulty in dealing with the problem of those who fled their homes nine months ago.
- Israel does not have the ability to withstand more months in light of the bad situation, economic deterioration and political collapse.
- Great pressure must be exerted on Hamas, the captives must return, the war in Gaza must end and a settlement in the north must be made.
UN chief warns against escalation in Lebanon
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah must not turn Lebanon into “another Gaza”, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned.
“The risk for the conflict in the Middle East to widen is real, and must be avoided when rash move, when miscalculation, could trigger a catastrophe that goes far beyond the border and, frankly, beyond imagination,” he told reporters at the UN headquarters.
