Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz threatened on Wednesday evening to invade Lebanon, warning Hezbollah of paying a "heavy price." He stated that if the Israeli army is ordered to carry out a military operation there, it would be "powerful and precise" against the Lebanese Hezbollah. He added in tweets posted on his Twitter account, following his participation in the "celebration of the 40th anniversary of the First Lebanon War in 1982": "If we are asked to conduct an operation in Lebanon, it will be strong and precise. It will impose a heavy price on Hezbollah and the state of Lebanon." He continued, "In the face of any threat to Israeli citizens, there will be no infrastructure used to harm us that is fortified."
Gantz confirmed that during a potential military operation, the Israeli home front would receive missiles from Hezbollah, noting that "there are preparations for this scenario, including through protecting and enhancing the connection between the army, heads of authorities, and the population." He warned Lebanon, saying, "We are ready for battle, and if necessary, we will march again to Beirut, Sidon, and Tyre."
While Hezbollah remained silent regarding these threats and did not comment, informed diplomatic sources indicated that Gantz's statements aim to rally Israeli sentiment and boost his people's morale, nothing more. They pointed out that his escalatory remarks are not so much "military" as they are "political." These positions come amid efforts to revive ongoing negotiations between Beirut and Tel Aviv, sponsored by the United Nations and mediated by the United States, to demarcate the maritime borders between the two sides.
It has been reported in recent hours that the Lebanese proposal to revive the talks is known and stipulates line 23 with the entire Karish field in exchange for Israel obtaining Karish, which was presented verbally by President Michel Aoun to the American mediator Amos Hochstein, at the table of officials in Tel Aviv, according to reports from Hebrew media in recent hours. The Israeli site "Globes" noted that the political level in Tel Aviv is studying the proposal without mentioning any timelines for a response.
According to "central" sources, Tel Aviv's threats may indicate that its response to the Lebanese offer will not be positive, or that it will not include full agreement on what Beirut demands to resume negotiations. Consequently, it views that some moral and military pressure may be beneficial to force the Lebanese side to lower its demands further and accept additional concessions, under the threat that the alternative to the diplomatic option could be a military escalation that would leave no stone unturned in Lebanon, as Gantz states.
In any case, after the Israeli response arrives in Lebanon, at the latest by the beginning of next month, there will be a discussion on any incident. It is too early to speculate on what the upcoming phase will hold, whether it be related to demarcation or military actions, the sources conclude.
