A military response is necessary to ensure the security of the northern part of the country, said Yoav Gallant
Only increased military action against Hezbollah would allow displaced Israelis to safely return to their homes in areas bordering Lebanon, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said.
During a meeting with U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein in Tel Aviv on Monday, Gallant stressed that the window for a diplomatic deal with the Lebanon-based militants was closing.
“Hezbollah continues to link up with Hamas,” Gallant wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Therefore, the only way left to ensure the return of the communities in northern Israel to their homes will be through military action.”
Gallant made the same point during his phone call with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, warning that it was time to… “run out” for an agreement with Hezbollah.
More than 60,000 Israelis have been displaced since Hezbollah began firing rockets and mortar shells across the border in support of Hamas in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded by attacking targets in Lebanon and killing several senior Hezbollah officials, including Fuad Shukr, who was killed in an airstrike in Beirut in late July.
Gallant and other Israeli officials have threatened Hezbollah with a devastating military response in the past, raising fears of a full invasion of Lebanon. Iran has threatened Israel with “a destructive war” If he attacks Lebanon.
The United States, however, has discouraged Israel from expanding its operations against Hezbollah out of concern that doing so could trigger a new, protracted regional conflict.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has been trying to broker a peace deal between Israel and Hamas, said in July that Washington was “certain” to avoid a bigger conflict.
During his meeting with Gallant, Hochstein said Washington favors a diplomatic solution and warned that an offensive against Hezbollah would not lead to the return of refugees, the Times of Israel reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.
Hezbollah also issued a stark warning last week, when its senior member, Naim Qassem, said that a full-scale war would produce “Big losses on both sides” and more refugees.
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