Situation difficult, Hezbollah created security belt: Israeli media
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Israeli newspaper Haaretz underlines that in light of all the distress Israelis are facing in the north, Hezbollah has managed to change the situation to its benefit and create a security belt.
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Israelis attend the funeral of an Israeli soldier in "Mevo'ot HaHermon" Regional Council in occupied Palestine, January 15, 2024 (AP)
Israeli media are once again underlining that the situation at the Lebanese border area with occupied Palestine is "extremely difficult", stressing that it would grow more difficult as time goes on.
Hezbollah, Israeli media reports reveal, has "established a security belt several kilometers inside "Israel" using its military capabilities and through its operations against the Israeli occupation."
Haaretz military affairs analyst Amos Harel said that two weeks after the assassination of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut, it seems that Hezbollah has shown restraint when it came to its response, which included a rocket and missile attack on the Israeli Mount "Meron" Air Traffic Control Base, as well as detonating a suicide drone at the Northern Command headquarters in Safad, in a bid to avoid war.
"What is happening is enough to create an unbearable situation," Harel added, explaining that Hezbollah was effectively imposing a security belt with a range that extends several kilometers from the border. In contrast, the Israeli government responds with empty words.
The military affairs analyst at Haaretz underlined that strikes launched by the Israeli occupation forces, no matter how intense and precise, "do not bring about a fundamental change in the situation."
Relying on US
He also pointed out that supporters of the prisoner exchange deal with Hamas and other Palestinian Resistance factions suspect that it could ease tensions in the north as well. From their perspective, "Hezbollah prefers to end the confrontation without war," and in such a case, there may be time to craft a US diplomatic initiative aimed at pushing Hezbollah away from the borders. If that fails, at least the Israeli army will gain time to prepare for the possibility of an all-out war in Lebanon.
On the other hand, opponents of the deal believe it is a presumption based on a lot of "ifs" and "maybes".
Meanwhile, Harel clarified that in the absence of signals from Gaza, former Security Minister and incumbent War Cabinet member Benny Gantz and former Israeli Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot seem to have little time left before reaching a moment of truth: deciding whether to withdraw from the cabinet in protest of the lack of progress in the captives file and the events of the "day after".
He considered that such a move could unite Netanyahu with his right-wing partners. However, at the same time, it may indicate the massive protests that many anticipated after the October 7 "disaster", which have not materialized yet. Thus, "the failed government led by Netanyahu continues to flail in its failures and alarming behavior."
War cabinet torn
The Haaretz military affairs analyst underlined that the war cabinet was torn on how to handle the issue of the captives. He indicated that in the face of Netanyahu, Gantz, and Minister Ron Dermer, who oppose a deal involving a long-term ceasefire and the mass release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners, there are military ministers, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, in addition to Shas Party observer Arieh Deri, who appear to be diligently seeking a deal, even at the expense of a cessation of fighting (which largely resembles an acknowledgment of Hamas's victory in this round).
It is possible that the resignation of ministers from the "National Unity Government" could signal a massive wave of protests, especially since the main goals of the war on the Gaza Strip – dismantling Hamas' capabilities and creating conditions for the release of captives – not only clash at this stage but are also unsynchronized in their timelines.
"Currently, the steps taken by the Israeli army do not lead to the release of prisoners. Families fear that these operations will result in their deaths," he said. Netanyahu repeats empty words like "we will fight until victory," but for him, this primarily stems from his will to survive.
According to what was mentioned, there is immense frustration at the higher levels in the Israeli army and the Shin Bet. There is a "fear that the political considerations of the prime minister will now lead to the erosion of accumulated achievements until this moment."
Netanyahu putting self first
An earlier Haaretz report said the Israeli occupation forces saw the occupied West Bank as being "on the brink of implosion" amid heightened tensions and warning from the IOF and the Shin Bet about escalations in the West Bank.
The Israeli newspaper underlined that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prefers to jeopardize "Israel" rather than his government, which relies on expansionism and far-right supremacy, which it added could be concluded from Netanyahu repeatedly ignoring warnings issued by the IOF and various Israeli intelligence regarding his actions.
The report cited the double operation that took place in "Ra'anana", "Tel Aviv", killing at least one settler and injuring 20 others, saying it was an indication of an upcoming wave of similar operations.
The deterioration of security in the occupied West Bank and the probability of opening up another front in the war would constitute a huge threat to the Israeli occupation, Haaretz added.
It is "terrifying", it said, the fact that the cabinet was only exacerbating the situation by further stifling the Palestinian people economically, constantly issuing inflammatory statements against the Palestinian Authority, permitting settlers to bear arms, and continuing to kick Palestinians off Palestinian soil.
The report underlined that Netanyahu and his government were fully aware of the repercussions of ending the security coordination with the Palestinian Authority; however, they would rather make a gamble while the IOF are occupied with fighting in Gaza and the north.
Netanyahu's cabinet, it said, must free the West Bank from its economic stranglehold, as well as rein in settlers and safeguard the existing security coordination with the PA, though the author underlined that these steps would not be enough.
To solve the complex issues it is facing, the Israeli occupation requires a political solution, and it will have to part ways with Netanyahu, who has completely failed in his capacity, Haaretz concluded.
