Israeli Army Wants to Intensify Lebanon Fighting, Fears Public Unaware of Consequences

According to assessments, attacks directed at Israel will cause significant damage, even in the country's center. The IDF is highly prepared for the possibility that the government will order it to launch a strike, and it has presented options for a limited-time war in southern Lebanon only, as well as for a broader war, which is highly likely to open additional fronts with Iran, Houthi rebels in Yemen, and militias in Syria.

It is likely that, unlike the war in the Gaza Strip, the goal of fighting in Lebanon will not be to dismantle Hezbollah, an organization that considers itself a full-fledged army, well-established within Lebanon and fully supported by Iran. The IDF aims to tailor the war objectives to the current situation, after eight months of war in the Gaza, and to confine it, in an attempt to avoid a regional war.

The change in the IDF's stance on the northern front stems from the increase in launches and the extended range of Hezbollah's rockets and missiles into Israel, according to security sources. The fires that spread in the Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights in recent days also influenced this change.

Although there were no casualties, the outbreak of the fires caused significant damage to the residents' sense of personal security in the area, for which the IDF currently has no solution. In the last three days, over 5,500 acres of natural forest, vegetation, and grazing land have burned in the Galilee and Golan Heights. The fires severely damaged forests and nature reserves in the area.

The return of residents to the north has become the most challenging task for the army, which has been sucked into the vacuum left by the government, in the absence of a decision on the matter. There is great frustration among the residents and fear of a real threat to the continuation of communities in the north, as to this moment, the state has not set a date for their return.

Halevi made these statements during a situational assessment at an IDF base in northern Israel along with the Commissioner of Israel Fire and Rescue Services, Eyal Caspi, amid efforts to control the fires that broke out in the area following exchanges of fire with Hezbollah. The blazes were ignited as a result of rocket and drone fire and spread quickly due to strong winds.