Military plans: Israel dismisses diplomatic path with Lebanon, weighs escalation against Hezbollah

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Israel has dismissed the possibility of a successful diplomatic track with Lebanon regarding the demarcation of land borders, the implementation of U.N. Resolution 1701, and the ceasefire agreement, warning instead of plans to intensify its military operations.

According to Israeli military assessments, daily operations are no longer sufficient and should be expanded into unprecedented simultaneous air and ground attacks against Hezbollah. 

Military officials indicated that the timing of any escalation will depend on the progress of political talks between Beirut and Washington, as well as broader regional developments.

The Israeli Northern Command is expected to present its field options to the cabinet on Thursday, amid intelligence suggesting that Hezbollah has strengthened its capabilities, particularly in producing rocket and drone launch platforms.

Ahead of a possible cabinet approval of these military options, the Israeli Air Force has redeployed parts of its defense systems to the north, after having concentrated them in central and southern Israel, due to fears of rocket and drone attacks from Iraq and Yemen's Houthis.

Within Israeli military plans, there are growing calls to act swiftly against Hezbollah. 

Meanwhile, Beirut has become part of internal debates—between those urging direct strikes to weaken Hezbollah's presence in certain areas and others arguing that such actions should be timed carefully in coordination with U.S. pressure.
 
On the diplomatic front, former Israeli army operations officer Zvi Bar'el voiced skepticism about reports of a potential agreement with Lebanon similar to the Gaza ceasefire arrangement. 

He argued that Lebanon's commitment to disarming Hezbollah under American guidance has remained mainly symbolic, questioning how a comprehensive political deal with Israel could be achieved when even limited security arrangements have proven challenging to implement.