As fighting continues in Gaza, the Israeli military is actively preparing for a possible full-scale war in Lebanon. As reported by the Times of Israelthe new 810a regional mountain brigade of the IDF conducted its first series of exercises in the north of the Jewish state, simulating aoffensive in the land of cedars.
The military said the maneuvers included “Attack Scenarios in Lebanon, including fighting in dense vegetation and fighting in urban areas”. The army also clarified that these are part of the work of “Adapting the operational response to the changing reality on the Syrian-Lebanese border”. The situation on Israel’s northern border, therefore, remains incandescent. As of October 7, the Hezbollah have launched daily attacks with missiles, drones and mortars, forcing the authorities in Tel Aviv to order the evacuation of 60 thousand civilians from the northern regions. In response, the IDF carried out dozens of raids against terrorist positions and deep into Lebanese territory.
The international community’s fears of an uncontrolled escalation increased in June, when the intensity of attacks by pro-Iranian terrorists increased. The government of Benjamin Netanyahu has explicitly stated that it will no longer tolerate the presence of Hezbollah in the vicinity of the Blue line and that it will take steps to push them back with a military operation in case the issue cannot be resolved through diplomacy. United States They tried to mediate between the two sides, to avoid the widening of the conflict and the involvement of theIranbut without success. From Tehran itself, Kamal Kharrazi, the foreign affairs advisor to Ayatollah Khamenei, warned that “there would be the possibility of an expansion of the war to the entire region, in which all countries, including Iran, would be involved. In that situation, we would have no choice but to support Hezbollah with all means”.
Israel is therefore in a difficult position. The war in Gaza, in fact, continues to absorb most of the resources available to the army. For this reason, the IDF generals have expressed their position in favor of a ceasefire with Hamas. A pause in the fighting, in fact, would allow the armed forces to recover their energies and replenish their reserves. Ammunition for tanks and artillery, in addition to spare parts as for armored vehicles, they are starting to run low.
The decision on how to proceed along both fronts now falls to Netanyahu, caught between pressure from far-right allies calling for the destruction of Hezbollah and the criticisms presented by the military’s upper echelons.
