International alarm growing on Israeli-Lebanese war: Israeli media
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The international community has cautioned against a third Israeli-Lebanese war, urging diplomatic resolutions.
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Black smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab, a Lebanese border village, in South Lebanon, Saturday, November 4, 2023. (AP)
The prospect of a third Israeli-Lebanese war, with the possibility of spillover and interference from the Islamic Republic of Iran, has sounded international alarm amid Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks, which blamed Iran for the occupation's multifront wars, according to The Jerusalem Post.
“We are in a fight for our existence, a fight being conducted on seven fronts. The attack against us is being led by Iran, which openly seeks to destroy us,” Netanyahu told the Knesset on Monday.
Netanyahu further claimed that Iran and the Axis of Resistance's movements have been conspiring to "invade" the occupied territories in a multifront campaign that becomes more evident as the war against Gaza drags on. Netanyahu then claimed "Israel" would thwart this campaign.
Former Israeli war cabinet minister and Knesset Member Benny Gantz, in turn, said that a war scenario against Lebanon was more likely than a diplomatic solution, in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron. Gantz's spokesperson relayed that the necessity of removing Hezbollah, and that its threat against Israeli settlers in the North is growing.
However, Gantz also stressed the importance of an alliance of moderates to counter Iran.
US says no to war
The United States, on the other hand, has expressed its aversion to an Israeli war against Lebanon.
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller ascertained that the country would continue pressing "Israel" against further escalation with Hezbollah. "We don’t want to see a full-scale war with Hezbollah. We think there ought to be a diplomatic resolution to the conflict across the Israel-Lebanon border that is keeping tens of thousands of families on each side of the border from returning to their homes," he said.
This comes following US envoy Amos Hochstein's trips to both "Israel" and Lebanon in an attempt to curb the possibility of a full-scale war between the two.
US Ambassador to "Israel" Jack Lew stressed that the US was pursuing a diplomatic resolution, saying it was closer than the public realizes, he said at the 21st Herzliya Conference at the Reichman University on Monday.
He further stated that a ceasefire in Gaza was key to accomplishing calm on the Palestinian-Lebanese border.
Meanwhile in Europe
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also warned of the growing threat of war between Lebanon and "Israel" during the Herzliya Conference. She further stated that she would visit Beirut on Tuesday for talks with Germany's partners to mitigate the situation.
Baerbock did not shy away from blaming Hezbollah for igniting the northern front in support of the Palestinian people amid the occupation's genocidal war in Gaza, claiming that "Israel" has the right to defend itself against Hezbollah's attacks.
"It’s Hezbollah who started this violence, forcing tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes. No country in the world should have to accept that," she said.
She also urged Hezbollah to retreat to the ceasefire line established after the 2006 Second Lebanon War, emphasizing the need for complete adherence to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which formalized the ceasefire.
Earlier, she attended a meeting of European Union foreign ministers, headed by EU policy chief Josep Borrell, who cautioned that the Middle East was on the verge of having the "conflict" spill over into Lebanon.
