- Lebanese terror group fires dozens of rockets at the North; IDF fails to intercept three drones
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Friday that Israel is “not looking for war” with Hezbollah and that a diplomatic solution was preferable, as the far-right Otzma Yehudit indicated it would bolt the government if Israel shied away from launching a full-scale assault on the Iran-backed Lebanese terror group.
Nevertheless, Gallant reiterated that Israel was making preparations and planning for a wider conflict, and said the ball was in Hezbollah’s court.
The defense minister’s remarks came hours after a tense cabinet meeting in which National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the leader of Otzma Yehudit, criticized Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for supporting a deal with Hezbollah to avert all-out war in the north.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah on Friday claimed responsibility for dozens of barrages earlier in the day, including rockets fired at a military base near Kiryat Shmona, explosive-laden drones launched at another army position in the Western Galilee, and several more attacks along the border.
The Israel Defense Force said it launched interceptor missiles at three drones, but failed to down the devices. According to the military, damage was caused to a building in Western Galilee by one of the rockets, which also sparked several fires in northern Israel.
No injuries were caused in the attacks, although a home in the border community of Shlomi was damaged by one of the rockets. The IDF said it shelled the sources of fire with artillery and later carried out a “wave of attacks” against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
The targets included a military site in Zibqin, infrastructure in Khiam and Houla, and a building used by Hezbollah in Odaisseh, according to the military.
Hezbollah has been shelling northern communities on a near-daily basis since soon after October 7, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill nearly 1,200 people and take over 250 hostages, amid sexual violence.
Fearing Hezbollah would carry out a similar attack, Israel evacuated residents of the Lebanon border communities, some 60,000 of whom remain displaced.
Diplomatic efforts led by the United States have so far failed to remove Hezbollah forces from Israel’s northern border, where skirmishes with the Iran-backed terror group appear on the verge of full-blown war.
Politico on Thursday cited a United States official as saying that the risk of war is higher than it has been for weeks. According to the official, a major attack by either side could spark a war, which could happen with “little notice.” A United Nations official said on Wednesday the war would be “potentially apocalyptic.”
Speaking to troops at an Iron Dome air defense system battery in northern Israel, Gallant said the country was developing two “significant” alternatives for Lebanon.
“[We are] preparing the military force… and this can happen quickly. On the other hand, the political alternative is being prepared, it is always better,” he said.
“We are not looking for war but we are ready for it. And we will reach a junction, it will be a T junction both for the enemy and for us. If [Hezbollah] chooses to go to war, we will know what to do. If it chooses to go to an agreement, we will respond to this matter,” Gallant said.
“I know it’s not easy, not easy for you and not easy for the residents of the north. There is one thing I can tell you and that is that it is much more difficult for Hezbollah and Lebanon. It is easy to speak from the bunker and make statements,” he said, referring to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
“At the end of the day, there are over 450 terrorists killed [in Lebanon]. The area is hit on a very severe level. Therefore, this burden is placed on the enemy in a much greater way than on us,” Gallant added.
Gallant reportedly made a similar point at the cabinet meeting which began late on Thursday.
“I told the Americans that we are not the ones who want a war in the north, and if we reach a deal that removes [Hezbollah] from a border, that would be acceptable,” said Gallant, who recently returned from a four-day visit to Washington.
“How can we not have a war?” Ben Gvir was said to interject. “Have we learned nothing from 20 years of deal-making? We’ll make a deal, and then within a year or two they’ll rape our women and murder our children.”
Ben Gvir also reportedly pushed back when Netanyahu expressed support for a diplomatic resolution to the tensions with Hezbollah.
“If we reach an arrangement that allows the return of residents to the north, then we can make a deal,” Netanyahu was quoted by Hebrew media as saying, “but that’s the crux of it — returning the residents up north. Only with the conditions that allow that [will Israel make a deal].”
Ben Gvir was said to reiterate that making a deal with Hezbollah would lead to a repeat of October 7, adding: “You don’t make deals with Nazis.”
A member of Ben Gvir’s party was later quoted in Makor Rishon as threatening the faction and would bolt the government if Israel did not launch an offensive on Hezbollah.
“If there is no campaign in the north, we will have to make a decision about remaining in the government,” Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer told the weekly. “This government cannot continue to exist if a diplomatic agreement is made [to end tensions] in the north.”
The far-right party, whose name translates literally as “Jewish power,” holds six of the Knesset’s 120 seats. If it were to leave the coalition, the government would be left with 58 seats — three short of a majority — and would be unable to govern.
The party has threatened to leave the government several times in the past.
@The Times of Israel
