Israel opts for limited and painful strike on Lebanon as it faces intensified pressures, internal divisions

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Amid heightened Israeli division over how to respond to Lebanon, coupled with increasing warnings about the potential repercussions of a wide-scale attack escalating into a regional war, Israel has entered its most perilous phase of internal division since its establishment.

The Israeli army had to bring in three battalions to guard the military base in Beit Lid while reviewing a request to extend the detention of soldiers from the Sde Teiman detention facility. These soldiers are accused of sexually torturing a Palestinian detainee from the Gaza Strip.

The scenes that dominated the event on Monday revealed the gravity of the situation, to the extent that some described it as the beginning of a civil war and an attempted coup against the government. 

Ministers and members of parliament from the government coalition arrived at the facility in support of settlers and members of the right-wing, who tried to prevent the army from arresting the accused soldiers, adding another front to the confrontations.

What has come to be known as the "eighth front" has risen to the top of Israeli agenda, surpassing the debate over the nature of the Israeli response to the event in Majdal Shams. 

With increased external tensions and pressures from security agencies, along with demands for an immediate hostage exchange deal, Israel has decided that the strike on Lebanon will be limited and "painful."

Meanwhile, calls to end the war in Gaza and Lebanon and to focus on rebuilding the country before it is too late have become increasingly urgent.

The decline in Israeli threats regarding the nature of the response to Lebanon coincided with the rising outcry of Syrians in the occupied Golan Heights against the Israeli leadership's actions and the attempt to enlist the Druze into the ranks of those serving in the Israeli army and loyal to the Israeli state. 

The Syrians of the Golan have united, affirming in a statement their position and calling for no retaliation for what happened in Majdal Shams. 

Voices rejecting the accusation that Hezbollah launched the rocket also emerged, based on reports issued after the incident indicating that what fell was a rocket from the defense system that Israel launched from the top of Mount Hermon to intercept a missile or drone from the other side of the border.

Additionally, photos from the incident site revealed that there is no crater in the playground, while Israel claims the rocket carried at least fifty kilograms of explosives. 

Internal and external reactions and movements put Israel at a dangerous crossroads, making it difficult this time to choose the best path to ensure its security and existence.