Israeli far-right conference to discuss occupation of South Lebanon
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A small Israeli far-right group is set to discuss the "occupation and settlement" of Lebanon amid Hezbollah's ongoing operations, which have exhausted the occupation.
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Smoke rises to the sky as a fire burns an area after a Lebanese retaliatory strike in the occupied Golan, on June 13, 2024. (AP)
A small far-right group, advocating for the "occupation and settlement" of southern Lebanon, plans to conduct a video conference on Monday. They assert that their approach is the "only solution" to the front with the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah, amid growing calls for "Israel" to invade the country.
“More assassinations in Lebanon, more firing of missiles, more alarms in the northern settlements, and no real change is visible on the horizon,” the Uri Tzafon organization said in a statement last week condemning the current escalation in the North. In response, they invited the public to join what they described as "the first Lebanon conference," emphasizing discussions on "territorial occupation and settlement."
Uri Tzafon reports that speakers scheduled for the upcoming Zoom conference include Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s estranged brother-in-law, Hagi Ben Artzi, and Amiad Cohen, head of Herut: Israel Liberty Center, the independent Israeli branch of the conservative Tikvah Fund.
Over the past eight months, tens of thousands of settlers in settlements along the Lebanese-Palestinian border have evacuated due to Hezbollah's operations.
Both far-right Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have called for an invasion of Lebanon.
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Smotrich calls for ultimatum against Lebanon
Speaking at a faction meeting of his far-right Religious Zionism party in the North last month, Smotrich demanded that Netanyahu issue a “public ultimatum” that Hezbollah “completely stop firing and withdraw all forces to beyond the Litani River.”
“If the ultimatum is not fully met, the IDF will launch an assault deep in Lebanese territory to defend the northern communities, including ground entry and Israeli military takeover of the southern Lebanese area,” he said.
While neither Smotrich nor Ben-Gvir have called for settling Israeli settlers in Lebanon, both have provocatively voiced support for the establishment of Israeli settlements in Gaza. Ben-Gvir even expressed his willingness to live in Gaza after the war, stating he would be "very happy" to do so.
War with Hezbollah would push 'Israel' into abyss
Earlier this month, Israeli media discussed the dangers of expanding the war with Lebanon into a full-scale war, stressing this would "push Israel to the brink of the abyss, especially with the absence of international legitimacy and an exhausted army."
Military affairs analyst Amos Harel, writing for Haaretz, emphasized, "A war with Hezbollah would present an unprecedented challenge to Israel's home front, with the northern and central regions confronting a level of threat previously unseen."
He added, "It is increasingly challenging to anticipate positive developments on the horizon, particularly as we approach the ninth month of war."
Harel continued, citing "a series of discussions held over the past two weeks with officials in security and military circles," which disclosed growing signs that "Israel is heading towards a multidimensional failure."
In this context, he emphasized that "Israel" finds itself entangled in all fronts, with the most critical being "the arena of confrontation with Hezbollah in Lebanon," facing the looming threat of a full-scale war. He warned that such a war would dwarf all previous events, asserting, "Everything that occurred before would pale in comparison."
