Israel intensified its attacks on Lebanon’s southern front overnight, expanding the geographical scope of the strikes deep into the South.
In parallel, member of the Israeli War Council, Benny Gantz, called on the heads of local authorities in northern Israel to prepare for “more difficult days... and this may lead to war.”
On Thursday, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted Gantz as saying during a meeting earlier this week with the heads of municipalities and local councils in the north: “I believe that the Lebanese government does not want a large-scale war to break out, and neither does Hezbollah... It is necessary to put pressure on it at this time before everyone goes to a broader war.”
According to the channel, senior political officials held a closed discussion this week, following the escalation in the north.
The ministers of the War Council, Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, said that Israel must strive to reach an agreement with Hamas in order to shift to the north. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu objected, pointing out that achieving the war goals in Gaza was the highest priority, and that it would not be appropriate to deal with the situation in the north until the war goals in the south are attained.
On Thursday, the Israeli army announced in a statement the killing of a soldier during fighting in the north after two explosive drones were launched from Lebanon towards the town of Hurfish in northern Israel.
The death toll in northern Israel due to Hezbollah fire has risen to 15 soldiers and 11 civilians, according to the army, since the start of the clashes.
In Lebanon, 455 people, including 88 civilians, have been killed as a result of the fighting, according to Agence France-Presse.
Clashes began between the Israeli military and Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group along the southern Lebanon-Israel border, a day after the Israel-Hamas war broke out on Oct. 7.
