Middle East
Israel's minister: Military deployment in Lebanon is the only way
Updated on September 16, 2024Reading time: 2 minutes
The conflict between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia continues to heat up. A diplomatic solution appears increasingly unlikely.
According to statements from the government in Jerusalem, a possible major war between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah is getting closer. According to his office, Defense Minister Joav Galant said at a meeting with US mediator Amos Hochstein that the only way to ensure the return of refugee Israeli citizens in the north to their homes was “a military operation.” The possibility of a diplomatic solution, however, is becoming increasingly remote because Hezbollah has tied its fate to the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas and refuses to end the conflict, said Galant.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said at a meeting with Hochstein that residents of the border region could not return to their homes “without there being a fundamental change in the security situation in the north.”
Hochstein has been trying for months to de-escalate the extremely dangerous situation on the border between Israel and its northern neighbor Hezbollah. According to the Israeli TV station N12, Hochstein warned Israeli leaders of the dangerous consequences of a major war that could spread further into the region.
Hezbollah has been shelling Israel since the Gaza war began almost a year ago and is only prepared to silence its weapons again after a ceasefire in the Palestinian coastal strip. Israel is demanding that Hezbollah also withdraw from the border area, as required by a UN resolution. Since the fighting began between Israel and Hezbollah, tens of thousands of people in both countries have fled the border area.
