Israel Says Prepared Plans to Invade Lebanon

Israeli bombing on Kafr Kila in southern Lebanon (AFP)
Israeli bombing on Kafr Kila in southern Lebanon (AFP)
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Israel Says Prepared Plans to Invade Lebanon

Israeli bombing on Kafr Kila in southern Lebanon (AFP)
Israeli bombing on Kafr Kila in southern Lebanon (AFP)

Tensions arose at the Lebanese borders even after Hezbollah withdrew its elite Radwan forces to more than 5-6 kilometers from the border.

Israeli officials stated that the army has prepared plans to invade Lebanese territory, and it is not unlikely that it will declare war.

However, political sources in Tel Aviv indicated that France and the US are continuing their efforts to reach an agreement with the Lebanese government.

Fears of the outbreak of war came as a result of a noticeable escalation in missile strikes on Thursday and Friday.

On Friday, the Israeli army targeted, with artillery shelling, the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab amid reconnaissance aircraft flying over the villages adjacent to the Blue Line, all the way to the Tyre area.

Hezbollah announced the death of two of its fighters, "martyrs on the road to Jerusalem."

During the night, the Israeli army fired incendiary bombs and flare bombs into the forests adjacent to the Blue Line on the outskirts of Naqoura and Alma al-Shaab.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported, on its Ynet website, noticing a movement of the Radwan towards the north, saying that successful chances of military and political efforts to withdraw Hezbollah from the border are on the rise.

Israeli Channel 12 claimed that half of the Radwan force on the border has already left its place due to Israeli military activity.

The Israeli reports added that Hezbollah had withdrawn its forces to the north, which brought calm to the residents of the northern towns, signaling a possible return to their homes. However, the group's missile bombing reached about 30 kilometers into the Israeli territories, which restored tension.

They noted that the Israeli army insists on responding to the attacks, threatening that continued bombing would lead to war similar to that in Gaza.

According to political sources, the Israeli extreme right is still demanding to seize the opportunity to recruit reserve forces to expand the front with Hezbollah.

But the US administration curbs these intentions and insists on preventing another front with Lebanon because it is convinced it will lead to a regional war that threatens a global war.

The US administration confirmed that President Joe Biden's Envoy, Amos Hochstein, is still making unremitting efforts to reach a truce.

The sources said Hochstein believes that the withdrawal of the Radwan Forces is a positive indication that there is room for progress towards a political agreement that includes a ceasefire and the formation of a security area that prevents slipping into war.

However, the Israelis fear that Hezbollah is seeking an agreement that could sedate Israel for a few months and then choose the time to launch a war similar to the Hamas attack.

They assert that Hezbollah is much stronger than Hamas and possesses combat experience and high-quality weapons that pose a severe threat to Israel. Therefore, a pre-emptive strike should be directed against it.



Israeli Troops Battle Palestinian Fighters in Gaza City of Khan Younis

 Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israeli Troops Battle Palestinian Fighters in Gaza City of Khan Younis

 Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)

Israeli troops battled Palestinian fighters in Khan Younis in southern Gaza and destroyed tunnels and other infrastructure, as they sought to suppress small militant units that have continued to hit troops with mortar fire, the military said on Friday.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said troops had killed around 100 Palestinian fighters since Israeli troops began their latest operation in Khan Younis on Monday, which continued as pressure mounted for a deal to halt the fighting.

It said seven small units that had been firing mortars at the troops were hit in an air strike, while further south, in Rafah, four fighters were also killed in air strikes.

The Islamic Jihad armed wing said it fired rockets toward the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon and other Israeli towns near Gaza. No casualties were reported, the Israeli ambulance service said.

The continued fighting, more than nine months since the start of Israel's invasion of Gaza following the Oct. 7 attack, underlined the difficulty the IDF has had in eliminating fighters who have reverted to a form of guerrilla warfare in the ruins of the coastal strip.

A Telegram channel operated by the armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the two main militant groups in Gaza, said fighters had been waging fierce battles with Israeli troops east of Khan Younis with machine guns, mortars and anti-tank weapons.

Medics said at least six Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in eastern Khan Younis.

US PRESSURE

US President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for president, both urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a proposed ceasefire deal as soon as possible.

However there has been no clear sign of movement in talks to end the fighting and bring home some 115 Israeli and foreign hostages still being held in Gaza. Public statements from Israel and Hamas appear to indicate that serious differences remain between the two sides.

Local residents contacted by messenger app, said Israeli tanks had pushed into three towns to the east of Khan Younis, Bani Suhaila, Al-Zanna and Al-Karara and blew up several houses in some residential districts.

The military said air force jets hit around 45 targets, including tunnels and two launch pads from which rockets were fired into Beersheba in southern Israel.

Even while the fighting continued around Khan Younis and Rafah in the south, in the northern part of the enclave, Israeli tanks pushed into the Tel Al-Hawa suburb west of Gaza city, residents said.

A Hamas Telegram channel said fighters targeted an Israeli tank in Tal Al-Hawa and shot an Israeli soldier.

Medics said two Palestinians were also killed in an air strike in western Gaza city.

More than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting in Gaza, according to local health authorities, who do not distinguish between fighters and non-combatants.

Israeli officials estimate that some 14,000 fighters from armed groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, have been killed or taken prisoner, out of a force they estimated to number more than 25,000 at the start of the war.