The number of Israelis that evacuated northern occupied Palestine as a result of Hezbollah's operations has exceeded a staggering 230,000 settlers, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.

Israeli media reported earlier this week that fears are mounting among settlers in northern occupied Palestine as the Resistance in Lebanon continues to carry out daily operations with no signs that it is deterred by any actions the occupation army is taking.

Read more: Hezbollah launched 30 missiles towards settlements: Israeli reports

WSJ: Deterrence alone not enough

For more than 80 days, the northern settlements have been on edge: anticipating an imminent war, the outlet reported. They dread the war because they understand the tremendous risks that it holds, especially after witnessing the Al-Aqsa Flood operation launched by the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza.

On that note, Channel 13 reported on Friday that Israelis in the North are experiencing mental breakdowns as "the effects are not limited to the security situation but extend to the psychological and economic situation as well."

According to WSJ, the October 7 operation has proven that deterrence "alone wasn't enough," which also applies to the long-standing understanding that the mutual destruction scenario has deterred a new war between the occupation entity and Lebanese Hezbollah.

The deterrence is real

On the other hand, US President Joe Biden and his administration's top officials have repeatedly warned "Israel" from expanding the war with Hezbollah, citing fears that it will not be able to manage both fronts with Lebanon and Gaza.

In an earlier report, the journal reported that top military and security officials in the occupation entity wanted to launch a "preemptive" strike against Lebanon and Hezbollah, just days after the start of the Gaza Resistance operation. However, Biden personally intervened to stop the US' closest ally from taking this step out of fear of a regional war, who also found Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reluctant and sharing the same sentiment.

In the details, "Israel" announced then that it had "credible" intel that Hezbollah was planning a similar cross-border attack.

Prominent US military and intelligence figures, including CIA Director William Burns and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, gathered for a critical meeting shortly thereafter to address the Israeli statements. Following the meeting, Washington concluded that it would not support such a risky course of action, as it did not align with its own intelligence.