Ceasefire hangs in the balance: Can Lebanon and Gaza be separated in Israel's expanding war?

Report by Joe Farchakh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Lebanon is witnessing an unprecedented escalation in violence since Monday, as Israeli airstrikes have killed over 550 people, with nearly 2,000 injured and tens of thousands displaced. 

Despite claims from Israel that its goal is not to widen the war but to restore calm to its northern settlements, the scale of the bombardment suggests otherwise. 

Amid this dangerous escalation, negotiations for a ceasefire have centered around three key players: U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein, Hezbollah, represented by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and Israel.

Hochstein has made it clear that the condition for preventing the conflict from spilling over from Gaza to Lebanon is a gradual agreement on the land borders between Lebanon and Israel. 

As the war drags on, international calls are mounting for a separation between the war in Gaza and Hezbollah's support operations in Lebanon.
 
However, Hezbollah's response remains firm. 

In a statement, Hezbollah's Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said: "In the name of the martyrs, the injured, and all those who have borne this religious and moral duty to support Gaza, which is suffering under siege, we tell Netanyahu and Gallant that the Lebanese front will not cease until the aggression on Gaza stops."

Israel has ramped up its attacks after months of calling for Hezbollah's withdrawal north of the Litani River.

The coming days will be decisive. 

Will the conflict expand, with Hezbollah abandoning the self-imposed restrictions it has followed, or will the two wars be separated, leading to an end to the Israeli military offensive?