Ex-IOF ops chief cautions against escalation in North
4 Min Read
Former IOF Major General Israel Ziv has warned against the prospect of "Israel" engaging in a full-scale war with Lebanon, citing it as potentially disastrous given the current circumstances.
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Fires burn around and in Kiryat Shmona near the Palestinian-Lebanese border, in occupied al-Jalil Panhandle, occupied Palestine, on June 3, 2024. (AFP)
Former IOF Major General Israel Ziv stated that "engaging in a full-blown war with Lebanon, if it were to occur, would come at the worst possible time for Israel."
According to Israeli media reports, Ziv said that entering into the toughest war after 9 months would involve the entire Israeli home front, as he questioned the rationale behind "Israel" willingly entering into such a challenging war.
He continued that with all the challenges Tel Aviv is facing, it should not enter a war without clearly defining its objectives.
Ziv emphasized that "the option of involving Israel in a long attrition war is a comfortable option for Hezbollah because they know that Israel is stuck in a deep quagmire in Gaza with no end in sight, while the situation in the North is much in their favor."
He added that engaging in such a war "would be a kind of victory for Hezbollah, at a time when the northern settlements are being crushed," referring to the losses being inflicted on daily bases in the North due to ongoing Hezbollah operations in support of Gaza.
Meanwhile, he highlighted the military operations in Gaza that are currently ongoing without clear objectives from the political leadership, criticizing the absence of war management and the lack of clarity in government statements.
This comes shortly after the Israeli military threatened Lebanon, stating on Tuesday that "operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon were approved and validated."
The senior commanders also decided to "accelerate the readiness of the forces on the ground," according to the military statement.
Hezbollah shows vital Israeli sites to be targeted in case of war
Earlier yesterday, the Military Media of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah - released a video showing vital Israeli targets only known to the occupation's security apparatus, suggesting that these sites will be targeted in case of a war against Lebanon.
The video included snippets of Hezbollah's Secretary-General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's latest speech, in which he warned the Israeli occupation that the Resistance would fight with no restraints or limits if war were imposed on Lebanon.
"Israel" will regret waging war on Lebanon, he says in the video.
The HaKirya complex, which includes the headquarters of the Ministry of Security, the General Staff, and many of the senior military staff leaders, was also shown.
A list of the potential targets included in the video:
- Vital targets in Haifa
- Ashdod port
- Hadera power station
- Ramat David Military Airport in Afula
- Pengrion Airport
- Nevatim base
- Oil refineries on the coast
- Negev rules
- Satellite area in Yehuda
- Research Center at Dimona Nuclear Reactor
This comes only a few days following the Hoopoe mission, during which Hezbollah gathered footage showing its reconnaissance drones flying over swathes of occupied Palestinian land, including Kiryat Shmona, Nahariya, Safad, Karmiel, Afula, all the way to Haifa and its port.
Titled "This is what the Hoopoe came back with," the nine-minute-and-a-half video captured footage and exposed sensitive Israeli sites. Hezbollah indicated that the video was only the first episode of more yet to come, highlighting that the drones bypassed Israeli air defenses and returned to Lebanese airspace undetected.
The published footage included intelligence about Israeli sites inside occupied Palestine and clearly showed that the drone arrived at the port of Haifa intact. Hezbollah's drones brought back footage and information about sensitive sites they captured over Haifa starting with the port itself to oil refineries and military factories, not to mention the locations of military battleships and important economic hubs in the port.
Read more: Resistance to know no bounds if Lebanon attacked: Sayyed Nasrallah
