Israeli Defense Minister Calls for Large-Scale Military Operation in Lebanon
Watan-The Minister in the Israeli War Council, Benny Gantz, called for the initiation of a new large-scale military phase deep into Lebanese territory to push Hezbollah away from the borders with the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Israeli-Lebanese border has witnessed tension and sporadic exchanges of fire between the Israeli army on one side and Hezbollah and Palestinian factions on the other, since last October, leading to casualties on both sides.
For the past 108 days, the Israeli occupation has been conducting a destructive war on the Gaza Strip, resulting in “25,295 martyrs and 63,000 injuries, most of them children and women,” according to Palestinian authorities.
This has caused “massive destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe,” according to Gaza authorities and the United Nations.
Benny Gantz’s statement came after his meeting with the French Minister of Defense, Sébastien Lecornu, who arrived in the occupied Palestinian territories for an unspecified duration, according to a post on Gantz’s account on the “X” platform.
Large-scale military operation
In a tweet, Benny Gantz stated: “I met today, Monday, with the French Minister of Defense Lecornu and expressed my appreciation for the personal support provided by the minister and France as a whole to the state of Israel.” He added, “I thank President Macron for his personal efforts regarding the issue of the kidnapped,” referring to Israeli prisoners held by Hamas in Gaza.
נפגשתי היום עם שר ההגנה של צרפת, סבסטיאן לקורנו.
ביקשתי להביע את הערכתי על תמיכתו האישית של השר ושל צרפת כולה במדינת ישראל וכן להודות לנשיא מקרון על מאמציו האישיים בנושא החטופים.דנו על התפתחויות המלחמה בעזה ועל הסיכוי להסלמה בגבול הצפון והדגשתי בפניו, כי אנחנו מתקרבים לשלב בו… pic.twitter.com/mCal0dq25G
— בני גנץ – Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) January 22, 2024
The Israeli Minister of War Council continued about the meeting with Macron: “We discussed the developments of the war in Gaza and the possibility of escalation on the northern borders.” He continued, “I assured him that we are approaching a stage where we will have to act on a large scale deep into Lebanese territory to remove the threat to our citizens and push Hezbollah away from the (Israeli) border towns.”
There has been no comment from the Lebanese government or Hezbollah regarding Gantz’s statements.
Security situation on the borders
French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu arrived for an unspecified duration in the occupied Palestinian territories, his second visit since the outbreak of the Gaza war on October 7 last year.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, during his meeting in Tel Aviv with his French counterpart, stated that “even if Hezbollah stops firing unilaterally, Israel will not cease fire until it ensures the safe return of residents in the north to their homes after the security situation changes on the borders.”
Gallant reiterated that “Israel prefers to end the conflict with Hezbollah through a political solution, but we are prepared to create a safe situation for the return of residents, through military means as well.”
