Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday that the window was closing for a diplomatic solution to the standoff with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon.
Gallant's remarks came as the White House Special envoy Amos Hochstein visited Israel to discuss the crisis on the northern border where Israeli troops have been exchanging missile fire with Hezbollah forces for months.
"The possibility for an agreed framework in the northern arena is running out," Gallant told Austin in a phone call, according to a statement from his office.
As long as Hezbollah continued to tie itself to the Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza, where Israeli forces have been engaged for almost a year, "the trajectory is clear," he said.
The visit by Hochstein, who is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, comes amid efforts to find a diplomatic path out of the crisis, which has forced tens of thousands on both sides of the border to leave their homes.
On Monday, Israeli media reported that the head of the army's northern command had recommended a rapid border operation to create a buffer zone in southern Lebanon.
While the war in Gaza has been Israel's main focus since the attack by Hamas-led gunmen on Oct. 7 last year, the precarious situation in the north has fuelled fears of a regional conflict that could drag in the United States and Iran.
A missile barrage by Hezbollah the day after Oct. 7 opened the latest phase of conflict and since then there have been daily exchanges of rockets, artillery fire and missiles, with Israeli jets striking deep into Lebanese territory.
Hezbollah has said it does not seek a wider war at present but would fight if Israel launched one.
Israeli officials have said for months that Israel cannot accept the clearance of its northern border areas indefinitely but while troops remain committed to Gaza, there have also been questions about the military's readiness for an invasion of southern Lebanon.
However, some of the hardline members of the Israeli government have been pressing for action and on Monday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a longtime foe of Gallant, called for him to be sacked.
"We need a decision in the north and Gallant is not the right person to lead it," he said in a statement on the social media platform X.
Hundreds of Hezbollah fighters and dozens of Israeli soldiers and civilians have been killed in the exchanges of fire, which have left communities on both sides of the border as virtual ghost towns.
The two sides came close to all-out war last month after Israeli forces killed a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut in retaliation for a missile strike that killed 12 youngsters in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
On Monday, Israel's defense ministry said it had approved the distribution of 9,000 automatic rifles to civilian rapid response units in northern Israel and the Golan Heights.
© Thomson Reuters 2024.
17 Comments
Aly Rustom
Israeli minister says time running out for diplomatic solution with Hezbollah in Lebanon
There won't be one without a ceasefire in Gaza.
WoodyLee
Israel can end this mess in NO TIME if it really wanted to, but that is not Bibi's and his war mongers goal.
Capuchin
I guess not worthy of mention but Israel killed 64 Palestinians in Gaza over the weekend and a further 38 on Monday. Many of them women and children.
Sanjinosebleed
If Israel stops committing war crimes and slaughtering women and children I am sure Hezbollah will stop trying to defend the Palestinians as well...
WoodyLee
Israeli Settlers attacked an elementary school while kids were in classes they used baseball bats and police batons to beat up teachers and school staff over the weekend near Ramallah city in the west bank of Palestine.
The settlers who are mostly East European Peasants with no history or connection to Palestine are ravaging the land an attacking Arabs and even Jews who do not subscribe to their Zionist agenda,
burgers and beers
I guess not worthy of mention but Israel killed 64 Palestinians in Gaza over the weekend and a further 38 on Monday. Many of them women and children.
Guess it might cast unfavorable light on the current White House occupants and their weapon supplying policies prior to the election, so our "free media decides its not worth major headlines.
Desert Tortoise
I think Israel would be very foolish to start a war with Hezbollah. The last time they fought Hezbollah they lost. Hezbollah has at least a hundred times more rockets and missiles than they had in that last war and their ground forces are much larger and better equipped. I don't think Israel could beat them and if they attacked and there is a high likelihood other nations would be drawn in on the side of Hezbollah, perhaps even Turkiye. Benjamin Netanyahu is going to lead Israel to its destruction.
Desert Tortoise
As someone who owns land and owns a home my heart goes out to the Arab families who are having their homes, lands, orchards and farms taken from them by force. If someone did that to me and mine I would certainly fight to the death to protect my land, but when Arabs fight back they are vilified as "terrorists". It's all wrong and it bothers me greatly that my government and my tax dollars support this injustice.
burgers and beers
DT - good posts.
Sh1mon M4sada
eh? The last time Hezbullah sent over 300 missiles into israel (for revenge), USA forced Israel to issue a statement it was only a few missile, aimed at military targets but was so inaccurate it hit civillian areas.
...and you wonder why they want to suppress X (twitter), hard to publish false narratives when there's video, photo evidence from real people, on both sides.
NCIS Reruns
There used to be a country called Lebanon. Now it's just a collection of private militias that have staked out their own territories. Another war will remove any doubt over it's being a failed state. And there will be plenty of blame to go around.
Desert Tortoise
Care to document this claim?
Desert Tortoise
Thanks to Israel's several invasions of Lebanon and their occupation of the southern region. Israel seems better at making enemies than making friends and they destroy nations in the process. Now those same arch conservative religious forces threaten to tear Israel itself apart. I have to mention there is historical precedent for Israel splitting. The last time it happened when Judah split off from the rest of Israel it so weakened both the Assyrians were able to conquer and subjugate them. It would not surprise me if this happens again.
RichardPearce
It is interesting that, according to the American government, every prodemocracy, pro human rights, antiWMD, and antigenocide movement in the ME is 'Iran linked'.
That the Axis of Antidemocracies, the rogue nuclear weapons state (at least according to Peace Memorial Museum when I visited), etc are all American dependent makes it pretty easy for a rational, informed person to come to a conclusion about which is a force for 'good'.
starpunk
Who are we kidding here with 'time running out'? Nutty Yahoo isn't even trying. He just wants to grab and destroy Gaza and he don't care how he gets it.
Sh1mon M4sada
All over X...seek and you will find.
Sh1mon M4sada
@DT, here you go, even Blinken controlled media says so.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-strikes-hezbollah-targets-lebanon-military-says-2024-08-25/