Germany and the Netherlands are calling on their citizens to urgently leave Lebanon, a bad sign for the winds of war blowing in the area. “The security situation in the region is highly unstable” and “a further worsening of the situation and an expansion of the conflict cannot be ruled out”, writes the German Foreign Ministry. Just yesterday, after the Israeli army once again struck Hezbollah positions on the border, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also went to the border, promising “victory” on the northern front too, if a war with Hezbollah were to break out. Even the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, at the end of his two-day visit to the north of the Jewish state, declared that the international community “should not be surprised” if the situation between Israel and Hezbollah were to “go out of control” but he accused of doing “almost nothing” for the full safety of Israeli citizens, after repeated violations of international treaties and agreements by Lebanon and Hezbollah.”
From the United States, where he met the American National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, and the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued a warning to Hamas: “It must accept” the proposal for a ceasefire fire and the release of the hostages announced by the president, Joe Biden, or “he will pay the consequences”. For the White House, Gallant’s visit was an opportunity to reiterate its trust in Netanyahu: “Even if everything doesn’t always go well with him, he is the elected prime minister.” Regarding the controversy over weapons, which had seen Prime Minister Netanyahu criticize Washington in a video, Gallant explained with satisfaction that there had been “significant progress” and that “obstacles on the supply of ammunition” had been removed.
Meanwhile, thanks to the conflict, Netanyahu escapes trials or at least tries to. The prime minister’s defense team told the Jerusalem District Court that due to the war, the prime minister will only be able to testify in his corruption trial in March next year.
