Defense Minister: ‘Israel Facing Imminent War With Hezbollah’
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JERUSALEM/HAIFA (Worthy News) – Israel’s defense minister has urged his nation to prepare for an imminent war with the massive Iran-backed Hezbollah militia based in neighboring Lebanon and a broader armed conflict in the Middle East.
Yoav Gallant made the warning during a situational assessment of the Haifa metropolitan area, which he said could come under Hezbollah attack if ongoing clashes further escalate.
“We may end up with violent action, whose consequences could reach the Haifa District as well, and that should be taken into account,” he said in remarks seen by Worthy News Thursday.
Located along the Israeli Mediterranean coastline, the Haifa District has an estimated population of more than 1 million, the third largest metropolitan area in Israel, behind Gush Dan and Greater Jerusalem.
With Israeli and Hezbollah forces trading fire across the Lebanese-Israeli border with increasingly sophisticated missiles for over three months, there is concern that the fighting will no longer remain isolated.
The violence has killed about 15 Israelis, including both civilians and Israel Defense Forces members, according to Israeli sources.
Hezbollah claims 171 of its members have been killed since October 8, when it launched attacks attacks “in solidarity” with Hamas fighters who killed about 1,200 people in Israel a day before.
STRIKING HEZBOLLAH TARGETS
In recent days, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they struck Hezbollah infrastructure in at least five locations in southern Lebanon.
There have since been other strikes back and forth that purportedly killed about four members of Hezbollah.
Israel’s north is bristling with tens of thousands of regular troops and about 60,000 reservists, IDF sources said.
Nearly 100,000 Israelis have evacuated the country’s northern towns, and tens of thousands of Lebanese living near the border have fled the fighting, according to Israeli government estimates.
About 76,000 Lebanese living along the border have fled, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The Lebanese government has reportedly accused Israel of trying to create a de facto buffer zone by destroying tens of thousands of trees to deprive Hezbollah of cover.
Israel says all it wants is for Hezbollah to withdraw 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) to the Litani River in the north, as required by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between the two.
BORDER CLASHES
The Israeli government says it won’t accept tens of thousands of its citizens being internally displaced because of border clashes.
And while already facing Hamas, Israel is now preparing to take on Hezbollah, one of the most heavily armed, non-state groups in the world.
It is the most formidable of Iran’s allies in its “Axis of Resistance,” which also includes the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, Iraqi militias, and others.
Experts have described Hezbollah, or ‘Party of Allah,’ as “a militia trained like an army and equipped like a state.”
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said the group has 100,000 fighters.
Experts believe the Shi’ite Islamist group may also possess more than 100,000 rockets that Hezbollah claims can hit all areas of Israel.
A broader war with Hezbollah is due to lead to more Israeli confrontations with Iran as Tehran seeks the destruction of Israel, partly by backing Hezbollah and other armed groups.
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