In an interview with Newsweek, an unnamed Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official signaled that Tel Aviv was seeking a larger conflict with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. The IDF and Hezbollah have traded fire along the Israeli-Lebanese border since October 7, killing scores of people. A larger conflict could draw the US in on the side of Israel.
An IDF official told Newsweek, “We will not return to the situation that was on the 6th of October in the north. It means we will not allow our civilians neither in the Gaza envelope nor on the Lebanese border to be under this threat.”
The official said the focus is Gaza, but the IDF is ready to fight against Lebanon. “We are prepared for that. We are on alert for that. We have the people, the personnel that is exactly ready for that, but we don’t want to do that yet.”
The IDF and Hezbollah have carried out frequent attacks along the Israel-Lebanon border since October 7. Israeli strikes have killed civilians, politicians, and journalists. Israel has additionally used US-supplied white phosphorus over civilian areas.
In November, Axios reported the White House has become concerned that Israel could escalate the war with Hezbollah to draw the US directly into the conflict. The US has issued warnings to Hezbollah, the implied threat being that the US would intervene directly against them if the situation escalates into a full-blown war.
A week later, the White House dispatched an official to Lebanon and Israel to try to tamp down the possibility of a wider regional war. The US has encouraged Israel to be more aggressive by deploying a massive amount of firepower to the region in the name of “deterring” regional actors from entering a war against Israel.
While the White House has complained about some of Israel’s aggressive military actions in Lebanon and Gaza, President Joe Biden remains steadfast in his commitment to ship weapons to Tel Aviv. Admittedly, the Biden administration has used its geopolitical sway to block UN resolutions demanding Israel and Hamas reach a ceasefire.
