Borderline Chaos: Israeli Dilemmas and Diplomatic Tensions in the North

Soldiers and leaders of brigades and divisions in the north woke up to the sounds of more rocket attacks towards northern Israeli towns adjacent to Lebanon less than ten hours after meeting Chief of Staff Hertzl Halevi.

Halevi had affirmed to the soldiers that the situation in the border area would not remain as it was before October 7th. While stating that war is not the only alternative, he urged leaders and soldiers to continue the offensive and demonstrate superiority over Hezbollah, considering it one of three possible solutions to the border security situation.

Halevi's remarks came just before the expected arrival of French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to Tel Aviv this week for consultations on the Gaza and Lebanon files. 

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Shmotrich threatened to flatten Lebanon and Beirut in an interview with a northern radio station.
In contrast, conflicting Israeli positions between politicians and security officials have plunged the military forces in the north and residents of the towns into confusion and protests, as there is no Israeli solution for the region.

While Israeli media reported that Tel Aviv requested Lebanon, through intermediaries, to set a timeline for reaching diplomatic agreements on the stabilization of Resolution 1701, security officials warned against any field move against Lebanon without a thorough study and international legitimacy guarantee.

The Israeli leadership has not yet expressed its opinion, committing, under the green light from the US to continue its fight in Gaza, to Washington's demand not to expand the war to the northern front. It awaits the success of diplomatic efforts to save the region from a dangerous regional war.