‘Israel on the verge of war with Hezbollah’ – Security tensions swell on Lebanon border

“Iran is pushing Hezbollah to action,” warns Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

By World Israel News Staff

On the heels of rising tensions between Hezbollah and the Israeli government, a senior government official said that the Jewish State is the “closest it’s been to a military campaign in Lebanon” in decades.

Israel’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Gilad Erdan met with officials from the international body on Tuesday in New York, alongside Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

During the meeting, Erdan warned that Israel is hurtling towards an armed conflict with the Lebanon-based terror group.

Currently, Israel is the “nearest to launching military action in Lebanon since the 2006” war, he said. Erdan noted a series of tense episodes that have occurred between Israel and Lebanon in 2023.

Earlier this year, a terrorist infiltrated Israel from Lebanon, planting a roadside bomb that severely wounded an Israeli motorist.

During the Passover holiday, Lebanon-based terrorists launched an unprecedented barrage of rockets – the largest since the 2006 war – on Israeli civilian communities near the northern border.

Hezbollah officials and Lebanese MKs associated with the terror group have made numerous threats against the State of Israel in recent weeks.

There have also been numerous incidents on the border, which have seen terrorists steal or deactivate Israeli military security cameras, set up their own surveillance posts, and film IDF officials touring the border.

Erdan’s statements were backed up by Gallant, who summarized his remarks in a Twitter post following the meeting.

“The potential for escalation on the northern border is increasing, following a blatant violation of Israel’s sovereignty,” Gallant said, referring to an incident in which the Hezbollah terror group set up tents on the Israeli side of the Blue Line and refused to remove them.

“Iran is pushing Hezbollah to action. The UN must be careful and maintain the ability to act independently in southern Lebanon.”

Gallant stressed the UN’s role as a peacekeeper in the region, though Israeli security analysts have expressed doubts regarding the entity’s ability to influence Hezbollah policy.

Despite repeatedly presenting evidence of Hezbollah violating Israeli sovereignty, the UN refused to intervene and order the terror group to restrict their encampments to the Lebanese side of the border.