Two Contradictory Positions in Israel on US Guarantees Amid Potential War with Lebanon

A report by Amale Chehadeh, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine


Two contradictory positions have emerged in Israel in response to reported US guarantees of support for Tel Aviv if confrontations with Lebanon escalate into a full-scale war. Following recent US-Israeli meetings that focused on pursuing a diplomatic settlement to prevent a war with Lebanon that could become widespread, the scene appears divided.

Some Israelis, advocating for an immediate response deep within Lebanon, see the guarantees made by a US official in a CNN interview as a green light to retaliate against Hezbollah. Conversely, another faction believes these guarantees are typical in the event of an expanded war, but view the current US stance as opposing a war with Lebanon at this time.

After Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Council Head Tzachi Hanegbi, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is set to arrive in Washington on Sunday, invited by his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin. Washington aims to gather majority support in Israel for a peaceful settlement to prevent a war with Lebanon, alongside addressing the issue of prisoners in Gaza and planning for the day after the war.

Despite his recent military threats from the north, Gallant has not yet discussed the policies following the plans approved by the Northern Command of the Israeli army for a war inside Lebanon. The political team formed by Netanyahu, following the withdrawal of Benny Gantz and Gadi Eizenkot and including Gallant, has agreed on the necessity of first concluding the Rafah operation and pushing for a prisoner exchange deal.

On the Gaza front, the Israeli army is intensifying its operations in Rafah, announcing that the military establishment, in coordination with the political establishment, will discuss the appropriate timing to declare Hamas defeated in Rafah and the conclusion of the operation there, while continuing its operations in a precise and limited manner.

Within Israel, the protest leadership and the Forum of Hostages Families hope that the Saturday night demonstrations, before Gallant's departure to Washington, will be the largest, sending a message to decision-makers in Tel Aviv and Washington about the need to take immediate steps to ensure the cessation of the Gaza war and the swift return of the hostages.