Hezbollah's Gaza support 'triggers' Israeli leverage: Will Lebanon be the next battleground?

Report by Lara el Hachem, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Since Hezbollah got involved in supporting Gaza, Israeli entities have hinted at expanding the war in Lebanon. Amid truce negotiations and captive exchanges, some fear Israel's intrusion into Lebanon after completing its operations in its southern front.

Is it in its interest to expand the battlefield on land?

Israel's strength lies in its aerial and technological superiority, allowing precise target detection and strikes. However, it acknowledges its vulnerability on the ground. 

Hezbollah, rooted in the geography and border environment, has accumulated military and logistical capabilities and experiences. 

Diplomatic sources suggest that this ongoing aerial war allows Israel to achieve its objectives against the resistance.

On the other hand, some emphasize the following equation: Israel desires war but is unable to [go through it], while the resistance can but does not want it. 

Why does Israel seek war? 

According to sources close to Hezbollah, Israel prefers a decisive solution. 

The expected displacement of approximately 150,000 settlers in the north is considered the worst in its history. Hezbollah has imposed a "security belt" over a distance of approximately ten kilometers.

On the other hand, Israel is unable to bear the burden of war. Its exhausted army is incapable of fighting on two fronts, and the Israeli interior is unable to withstand the power of Hezbollah's missiles, of which only a small part has been used, revealed the same sources.

The sources also recall what Hassan Nasrallah stated: If the enemy carries out its threats, it must realize that the 100,000 settlers who left the north will not return. They should prepare shelters for over two million settlers, not just 100,000.