Israel escalates military strategy in Lebanon as leadership backs wider offensive

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian 

Israel’s political leadership has given the army the green light to destroy any area in Lebanon deemed a threat to northern settlements and the military, particularly those from which Hezbollah launches anti-tank missiles.

At the same time, military units have been sweeping villages in southern Lebanon and destroying homes, after the army allowed Israeli journalists to accompany troops during these operations. 

A security official said controlling these areas would help expand the security buffer zone and strengthen Israel’s bargaining position in any future negotiations.

A central part of the army’s plan involves destroying bridges over the Litani River to cut what Tel Aviv described as Hezbollah’s operational lifeline, as well as its strategic routes for transferring fighters, weapons, and equipment to the front facing Israel, where the Radwan Force carries out rocket attacks.

Along the border with Israel, these developments continue. Meanwhile, on the Lebanese-Syrian border, a political-security meeting concluded that the Syrian army could exploit what Israeli officials described as Lebanon’s fragile situation to enter its territory and fight Hezbollah.

A security official said Israel’s Northern Command is preparing for the possibility that Damascus could launch such a battle without coordinating with Israel, which is closely monitoring developments along the border. 

According to Tel Aviv, any potential Syrian attack would represent another strong bargaining chip in future negotiations.