Israel Expands War On Lebanon

Israel has expanded its war on Lebanon after proclaiming that Hezbollah has been defeated, all while avoiding setting any clear end goals.

The country’s new Defense Minister Israel Katz said on November 10 that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has defeated Hezbollah and that eliminating its leader Hassan Nasrallah was the crowning achievement.

“Now it is our job to continue to put pressure in order to bring about the fruits of that victory,” Katz said during a ceremony at Israel’s foreign ministry, without setting any clear goals.

On the same day, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi approved the expansion of the ground operation in southern Lebanon.

Halevi approved new plans for the IDF’s Northern Command and expanded Its maneuvers with thousands of permanent and reserve soldiers. The decision came just a week after the IDF and Israel’s security establishment considered announcing the end of the ground operation.

The Israeli escalation against Hezbollah was not limited to Lebanon. Also on November 10, at least nine people were killed when Israeli strikes hit a multi-story residential building in the Shiite town of Sayyidah Zaynab to the south of the Syrian capital, Damascus.

The main target of the attack was reportedly Ali Daqduq, who allegedly headed a network of Hezbollah cells on the front with the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

On November 11, Hezbollah spokesman Mohammad Afif stated that Israel has not managed to capture “a single” settlement in Lebanon so far during the invasion. He also dismissed the IDF claim of a significant decline of Hezbollah’s missile stockpile as “just lies”.

One the same day, the group launched some 165 projectiles at Israel, demonstrating that it was still a very capable military force.

On November 12, the IDF announced that it had demolished the majority of Hezbollah’s weapons manufacturing and storage facilities in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

The announcement came just a few hours after Hezbollah fired a barrage of ten rockets at the Western Galilee, killing two men in the city of Nahariya and injuring two others in the settlement of Kabri.

With no clear goals, Israel’s recent escalation against Lebanon, which has so far killed more than 3,200 people, may be just a last-ditch attempt to extract more concessions from Hezbollah before a ceasefire.

United States president-elect Donlad Trump is reportedly looking for a permanent ceasefire in Lebanon. Israel has already discussed a possible end to the war with him. Israeli officials have also engaged in talks with the Russian officials.