Israel says time is running out to reach a diplomatic solution with neighboring Lebanon. *'s warning echoes that of two ministers – at a time when fighting with Allah on the Israeli-Lebanese border was intensifying.
Israel hints at,"Diplomatic patience"is being exhausted to reach a negotiated solution to the escalation of hostilities on the border with Lebanon, although the war in Gaza continues at a ferocious pace,writes The Guardian.
Security sources said Lebanese radical Shiite group Allah fired more rockets and armed drones on Wednesday than on any other day since the conflict began on the other side of the border.
On October 7, the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing 1,140 people and taking 250 hostages. Some 150 people died in Lebanon, including 17 civilians, and 11 in Israel, including 4 civilians, and tens of thousands of people in both countries were forced to flee their homes.
A report on Israeli Kan radio on Thursday after a particularly intense rocket salvo in the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona quoted ** sources as saying that the two sides were doing"Approaching the opportunity for an agreement that guarantees that Allah will be withdrawn from the border. The sand in the hourglass of Lebanese diplomacy is running out. ”
The remarks came after comments made by Minister Eli Cohen after his visit to North Korea on Wednesday. He said:"There are only two options: political solution or military action. What existed before October 7 will no longer exist. We will give some time for political decisions. If there is no [implementation], all options will be on the desktop. ”
Another minister, Benny Gantz, said"The situation on Israel's northern borders needs to change. "There is not much stopwatch for diplomatic solutions ;If the world and Lebanon** do not act to stop the shelling of the population of northern Israel, the IDF will move Allah away from the border.
As such"The Guardian"As a reminder, groups linked to Tehran throughout the Middle East fired drones and missiles in the direction of Israel, disrupting international shipping in the Red Sea and striking the United States after the events of October 7 Israel's retaliatory war against the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip has become one of the most devastating conflicts of the 21st century: it is estimated that more than 21,000 people have died, 55,000 have been injured, and 85 of the territory's 2.3 million inhabitants have been forced to flee.
Israeli tanks penetrated deep into the central Gaza Strip on Thursday as part of an expanding offensive against Hamas, despite international calls for a ceasefire. Five days of relentless bombardment of several overcrowded refugee camps near the central city of Deir El-Balah – all areas where the military had previously ordered Palestinians to seek refuge – caused thousands of families to flee to the city of Deir El-Balah to pitch tents where space was available.
Further south, Israeli forces attacked the area around Khan Younis Central Hospital, a major city in the southern Gaza Strip. The Palestinian health authority said 20 people were killed in the attack on Khan Yunis and 210 in Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours.
The United States has stepped up military reinforcements in the region to deter further attacks on Israel, including the presence of aircraft carriers. But the longer the war in Gaza lasts, the higher the risk of miscalculation and regional escalation, which Biden fears could attract Iran. Earlier this week, Israeli Defense Minister Yo** Gallant described his country as already in"War is waged on several fronts"。”
Washington and Paris are engaged in intensive secret negotiations to de-escalate the fighting on the Blue Line, which is believed to include the possibility of a final settlement of the disputed territory on the border and to persuade Allah to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River.
This step will be carried out in accordance with the UN resolution adopted during the last war in 2006. However, Allah enjoys much of the massive support of the southern towns and villages closest to Israel, which were occupied for most of 20 years before Israel's withdrawal in 2000, and it is unlikely to voluntarily recognize its raison d'être – to resist Israel.
It is unlikely that either side would want to do that now, but if one side misinterprets the actions of the other, the war in Lebanon could begin any day"said a senior European diplomat in the region. "The biggest risk is that Netanyahu will deliberately start this in order to stay in power after the war in Gaza has fallen to [less intense] levels, knowing that he will lose his job the next day"Referring to the Israeli Prime Minister, they added.
After the bloody summer war of 2006 left parts of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, in ruins, both sides were careful not to return to full-blown conflict. "The Guardian"Recall that Israel has not fought a war on two fronts since 50 years ago when Syria unexpectedly attacked Yom Kippur from the north and Egypt from the south.
Gallant and other members of the military cabinet advocated a preemptive strike on militant groups immediately after the October 7 attacks, a proposal that the United States managed to reject. But among Israeli politicians, generals and a growing public, the belief in the inevitability of a new war in Lebanon seems to have been strengthened: a poll conducted at the end of November showed that 52 percent of respondents were in favor of an immediate blow to Allah, and only 35 percent opposed the start of another war. The front line is in the north.
Nasrallah needs to understand that he is the next person in line"Cohen said, referring to Allah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. "If he doesn't want it, he needs to force Allah to retreat north of Litani. We are facing all the solutions to get our residents home safely. ”
Despite growing disagreements over the conduct of the war with Israel's most important ally, the United States, Israel has said that Israel will continue its offensive until it is against Hamas"Complete victory"。However, given the army's inability to capture or kill Hamas leaders, and in the face of fierce guerrilla resistance in areas allegedly under the control of the army, this goal appears to be shifting further. The commander-in-chief of Israel's armed forces said this week that the war would last for months and that ceasefire talks brokered by Qatar and Egypt appeared to be deadlocked.
Maha Rafik, a 46-year-old mother of five from the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, said she and her family no longer think about when the war will end and are focusing on everyday survival.
We slept and woke up constantly hearing the sound of shells and cannons. Every day my husband and I go looking for food and don't know if we'll see each other again. It's hard to find even the simplest things on the market, and they're twice as much as usual. I have four daughters who need sanitary pads but we can't find them"The Guardian quoted her as saying. - If a ground invasion comes here, I don't know we'll go **. We focus on survival, finding shelter, moving from one place to another. ”
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