Israel may need to prepare for a long and extensive military campaign on its northern border, according to an unnamed Israeli security official quoted by Channel 12. The official warned that the price of this campaign, aimed at securing the border with Lebanon, will be “high.”
These comments followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement on Monday, where he emphasized the need for a “radical change” on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Netanyahu relayed to U.S. Middle East envoy Amos Hochstein that Israel is seeking such a shift in border security.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, during his meeting with Hochstein, stated that “time is running out” to halt the near-daily clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah along the border. In a statement from the Israeli army, Gallant noted that “the only remaining way to ensure the return of residents in northern Israel to their homes is through military action.”
Since the war in Gaza broke out on October 7, Hezbollah and Israel have been engaging in daily cross-border shelling, with Hezbollah launching attacks from southern Lebanon in what they describe as a move to “support” Gaza. During this period, at least 623 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to AFP, while 50 Israelis have died, according to the Israeli military.
The clashes along the Lebanon-Israel border have resulted in the displacement of tens of thousands of both Lebanese and Israeli residents, raising concerns about the possibility of the ongoing Gaza war expanding into a larger regional conflict.
The situation draws parallels to the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, a devastating conflict that left 1,200 Lebanese dead, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, the majority of whom were soldiers.
