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Israel ‘preparing for long war’ with Hezbollah – Report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaling that Israel is ready for a large-scale confrontation with the Lebanon-based terror group.

By World Israel News Staff

As the chances of a ceasefire with the Hamas terror group in Gaza continue to fade, Israel is viewing an all-out war with Hezbollah as inevitable and is taking steps to prepare, according to Hebrew-language media reports.

An anonymous security official told Channel 12 News on Friday that Israel “should gear up for a long war” on the northern front.

During a security cabinet meeting last Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said Israel would soon need to engage in a “large-scale confrontation” with Hezbollah. He expressed pessimism over the likelihood that Hezbollah’s near-daily bombardments of communities and military assets in northern Israel could be stopped via a diplomatic agreement.

Over the past 11 months, Hezbollah has caused at least 1 billion shekels in damages to homes in border areas, as well as forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of Israelis who lived near the Lebanese border.

Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were said to have disagreed over the impact of a war with Hezbollah on Gaza. Gallant warned that a war in the north would necessitate the withdrawal of troops from the Gaza Strip in favor of placing them in Lebanon, which would reduce pressure on the Hamas terror group.

The premier disagreed, saying he believed a simultaneous war in Lebanon would have little effect on Gaza, Channel 13 News reported.

Netanyahu also pushed for the security cabinet to add the return of northern residents as an official goal of the ongoing war – a move that would signal Israel’s intention to launch a decisive military campaign against Hezbollah, rather than continue the tit-for-tat attacks that have so far defined the conflict.

Ynet reported that Netanyahu will travel to New York in late September in order to address the UN General Assembly, using the visit to drum up international support for an Israeli offensive against Hezbollah.

Washington is reportedly pressuring Israel to delay attack plans until after the November 5th presidential election, but it’s unclear if Israel will abide by that timeline.