{"id":2270915,"date":"2024-06-18T18:44:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-18T22:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/idf-approves-plans-for-lebanon-offensive-as-hezbollah-threat-grows\/"},"modified":"2024-06-18T18:46:38","modified_gmt":"2024-06-18T22:46:38","slug":"idf-approves-plans-for-lebanon-offensive-as-hezbollah-threat-grows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/idf-approves-plans-for-lebanon-offensive-as-hezbollah-threat-grows\/","title":{"rendered":"IDF greenlights Lebanon offensive amid escalating Hezbollah tensions"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fidf-approves-plans-for-lebanon-offensive-as-hezbollah-threat-grows%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2270915&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The \u2064Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fla-gov-desantis-announces-plan-to-work-with-publix-pharmacy-to-distribute-covid-19-vaccine\/\" title=\"Fla. Gov. DeSantis announces plan to work with Publix Pharmacy to distribute COVID-19 vaccine\">announced plans<\/a> to expedite the preparedness of their forces in northern Israel due to ongoing engagements with Lebanese Hezbollah. Israeli military authorities discussed the security situation \u200cand operational plans for a potential offensive in Lebanon. Concurrently, U.S. \u200cofficials, including special envoy \u200bAmos Hochstein and Secretary \u2063of State Antony Blinken, have been involved in diplomatic efforts to \u2063mitigate the escalating tensions. Despite\u200c the mutual hostilities marked by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-withdrawals-120-troops-from-israel\/\" title=\"U.S. withdrawals 120 troops from Israel\">rocket exchanges<\/a> since October\u200d 8, following the Gaza conflict initiation on October 7, leaders from both Israel and the U.S. have expressed \u2063the desire \u200bto avoid regional escalation. The continuous conflict \u2062has led to significant displacement of\u200d civilians \u2064in affected areas of \u2063both\u2062 northern Israel and southern Lebanon.\u2062 Meanwhile, rhetoric from leaders like Hezbollah&#8217;s Hassan \u2062Nasrallah suggests readiness for prolonged conflict, although Blinken remarked on the destructive potential of such an escalation for Lebanon and the broader\u2062 region.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Israeli<\/a> Defense Forces approved plans to accelerate the readiness of its forces in the northern part of the country, where troops continue to engage with Lebanese <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hezbollah\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Hezbollah<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Israeli military leaders held a meeting to discuss the security situation in the north and \u201cas part of the situational assessment, operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon were approved and validated, and decisions were taken on the continuation of increasing the readiness of troops in the field,\u201d the IDF said on social media Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>The United States has said since Israel\u2019s war against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hamas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Hamas<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gaza\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Gaza<\/a> began after the Oct. 7 massacre that it didn\u2019t want to see the war expand into a regional conflict. Israel and Hezbollah began firing rockets over the border at one another on Oct. 8 and it has largely continued unabated since then, though it has not become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/quincy-institute-fellow-worries-israeli-lobby-will-scuttle-new-iran-deal\/\" title=\"Quincy Institute Fellow Worries \u2018Israeli Lobby\u2019 Will Scuttle New Iran Deal\">full-scale war<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein traveled to Israel and Lebanon this week, where he urged both sides to settle the escalating tension.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo one wants escalation,\u201d U.S. Secretary of State <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/antony-blinken\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Antony Blinken<\/a> said Tuesday. \u201cNo one wants to see the conflict spread.\u00a0And one of the paradoxes I think we have in this moment is I don\u2019t think any of the potential belligerents actually want to see a war or conflict spread.\u00a0I don\u2019t believe Israel does.\u00a0 I don\u2019t believe Hezballah does.\u00a0Lebanon certainly doesn\u2019t because it would suffer the most.\u00a0I don\u2019t believe that Iran does. And yet you have momentum potentially in that direction because with the back and forth that goes on every day, there is always the possibility of miscalculation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Israel\u2019s military has carried out strikes targeting specific Hezbollah leaders. <\/p>\n<p>Leaders of both countries have placed blame on each other.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe hope that the war will stop at any moment, but if [Netanyahu] insists on war, he will take the Zionist entity to disaster and will take the opposing front to a great and proud historic victory,\u201d Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said, while IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari recently commented. \u201cHezbollah\u2019s increasing aggression is bringing us to the brink of what could be a wider escalation, one that could have devastating consequences for Lebanon and the entire region.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The tit-for-tat rocket fire has forced civilians in both northern Israel and southern Lebanon to flee their homes. Hezbollah effectively \u201cdepopulated a big part of northern Israel because of the threat from Hezbollah, because of Hezbollah launching rockets into Israel and making life impossible,\u201d Blinken added.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Hezbollah fighters attend the funeral of their commander Wissam al-Tawil, in the village of Khirbet Selm, south Lebanon, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. The elite Hezbollah commander who was killed in an Israeli airstrike Monday in southern Lebanon fought for the group for decades and took part in some of its biggest battles. (AP Photo\/Hussein Malla)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The secretary said the number of Israelis that fled the north is around 60,000-70,000 people, many of whom did so back at the start of the conflict with Gaza. They remain displaced from their homes, more than eight months after the conflict with Hamas began.<\/p>\n<p>The ongoing fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has not allowed for people to return to their homes, raising the question, according to Rich Goldberg, of whether Israel might escalate the war to deescalate it and allow for its citizens to return to their homes without seeking a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ukrainian-complaints-show-definition-of-imminent-had-nothing-to-do-with-joe-biden-debacle\/\" title=\"Ukrainian Complaints Show Definition of 'Imminent' Had Nothing to Do with Joe Biden Debacle\">full-fledged war<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Goldberg, a senior adviser for the Foundation of Defense of Democracies, believes an Israeli-Hezbollah full-scale war is only a matter of time, and it could happen while Israeli forces are still operating in Gaza, or further down the road.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that the full scale war against Hezbollah has to happen within the next 18 months to two years,\u201d he told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hezbollah is believed to have more fighters within its ranks than Hamas, as well as a larger and more advanced arsenal, which could have an impact on the battlefield. Hezbollah has about 50,000 fighters and about 200,000 missiles, rockets, and drones, per Goldberg.<\/p>\n<p>Hezbollah\u2019s arsenal includes longer-range rockets and missiles that would threaten much more than just the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/end-vaccination-mandate-at-canada-us-border-new-york-senator-urges-white-house\/\" title=\"End Vaccination Mandate at Canada-US Border, New York Senator Urges White House\">northern border communities<\/a>, if a full-scale war were to break out. They also have precision guided missiles that Hezbollah could use to target Israeli critical infrastructure and military facilities.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Israeli Defense Forces are expediting troop readiness in northern Israel, where confrontations with Lebanese Hezbollah persist. Military leaders convened to assess the security situation and refine operational plans for a potential offensive<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2671,"featured_media":2270916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24096555283313-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2270915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24096555283313-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2270915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2671"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2270915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2270915\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2270916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2270915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2270915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2270915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}