Israel At War – Day 103

Hezbollah Increases Attacks

Higher Than Before

The likelihood of a war with Hezbollah is being mentioned by the IDF in remarks by its chief of staff as we see in this article from i24news.tv:

The Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Herzi Halevi, has issued a sobering warning about the increasing likelihood of war in the northern region.

During a visit to a reserve forces exercise in the north on Wednesday, the Chief of Staff, accompanied by high-ranking commanders, articulated a heightened concern for a potential all out war with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon

Halevi's remarks, made against the backdrop of escalating tensions, stand out prominently: "I don't know when the war in the north is, I can tell you that the likelihood of it happening in the coming months is much higher than it was in the past."

I’ve said that when the war against Hamas winds down, Hezbollah will increase its attacks and may even invade with their army. The IDF is certainly preparing for that:

Halevi emphasized the paramount importance of ongoing training exercises, particularly in the context of recent lessons gleaned from conflicts in Gaza, which are deemed highly relevant to potential engagements in Lebanon.

A clearly defined objective was outlined for potential operations in Lebanon – the return of residents to the north, encompassing all settlements in the region. Halevi acknowledged the necessity for a significant shift to achieve this goal.

Despite the gravity of the situation, the Halevi expressed confidence in Israel's preparedness, citing advantages, victories, and a decrease in the adversary's confidence.

Time Is Running Out

While diplomatic efforts continue, according to a report in CBN.com the time for diplomacy to end is near:

Former IDF Spokesman Jonathan Conricus told CBN News that Israel has been reacting to the attacks with restraint, but time is running out for diplomacy to avert a full-blown war.

"The time really is now for any such deal to come into effect," he asserted. "What Israel, I think, needs in order for Israeli civilians to go home to their homes is for a seven or ten-kilometer buffer zone to be created inside Lebanon, where there is simply no access for the worst Hezbollah terrorists to get close to the border."

Conricus noted that Hezbollah is more of a risk than Hamas:

Conricus says Hezbollah is much stronger than Hamas.

"We're talking about 130,000 rockets," he explained. "We're talking about bigger payloads and we're talking about much bigger range, including high-quality weapons that can strike specific locations in Israel, which Hamas does not possess, and many other weapons that Hezbollah has been provided by the Iranians."

The IDF is on record as saying one of their goals is make the area safe for those who evacuated to feel safe to return. Conricus addressed how that could happen:

Conricus continued, "The time really is now for any such deal to come into effect. What Israel, I think, needs in order for Israeli civilians to go home to their homes is for a seven or ten-kilometer buffer zone to be created inside Lebanon, where there is simply no access for the worst Hezbollah terrorists to get close to the border."

So far, UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon), the U.N. peacekeeping force that has been in southern Lebanon since 1978, hasn't managed to keep the border safe. Israel needs to deal with Hezbollah's massive arsenal, according to many analysts, including Conricus.

But he added, "The most imminent threat is (Hezbollah) access to Israeli civilians across that 80-mile border that separates between Israel and Lebanon. And that is non-negotiable."

War To Last Until 2025

In a meeting with local council chiefs near Gaza, Prime Ministers said that the war could last into 2025 as we read in an article from The Times Of Israel:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told local council chiefs from communities near Gaza on Tuesday that he anticipates the war against Hamas extending into 2025.

According to an unsourced Channel 12 report on the meeting, which was held at the IDF’s southern command headquarters in Beersheba and attended by other security cabinet ministers, Netanyahu told the council chiefs that, according to the current assessment, the war may continue into next year.

He disclosed the assessment in the course of a discussion in which he also reportedly agreed to revise a current Defense Ministry framework that provides financial assistance to Israeli residents who are prepared to return to evacuated communities 4-7 kilometers from the Gaza border areas.

As in the north where the threat from Hezbollah is keeping residents from returning, those near Gaza also are reticent to return:

The local council chiefs told Netanyahu that most of their residents do not wish to return at this point, because of ongoing rocket fire from Gaza and other security concerns, the TV report said. They called for the process of returning to be delayed or extended until the summer and the start of the new school year, and for the state to continue to fund their stay in temporary accommodation until then.

In public remarks at the start of the meeting, Netanyahu said: “We are determined to rehabilitate the kibbutzim and communities in what is known as the so-called Gaza envelope area, to return the residents to their homes, and to ensure that [the area] thrives and grows far more than it was before the war.”

How can Israel promise those in the north and the south that it will be safe to return if Gaza is returned to people that hate them and teach their children to hate Israel as well? And how can Israelis go back to their homes and businesses on the Lebanon border if Hezbollah still exists there? Those answers are complex and yet simple. Totally eliminating all terrorists on any border of the country, including in the West Bank is a start. Then making them part of Israel as will occur as a result of the Psalm 83 war is the other part of the puzzle. It’s all in Bible prophecy if anyone is willing to look.