Divisions emerge in Israel: Army plan centers on south Lebanon amid readiness concerns

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian 

The Israeli cabinet did not state it explicitly, but details relayed by a military official regarding the continuation of operations in Lebanon and the war’s objectives align with the army’s plan presented at the meeting. The plan is based on limiting the war’s goal to disarming Hezbollah south of the Litani River, rather than across all of Lebanon.

The cabinet, in the presence of senior army and security officials, discussed ways to continue the war in Lebanon, as Israel was coming under fire, which led to the collapse of a building in Haifa with people inside.

According to available information, operations will continue without expanding the ground offensive. They include expanding strikes across Lebanon, not only in the south, to create significant pressure aimed at altering what the army considers a war of attrition that has developed in northern Israel. 

The plan also calls for refocusing on targeted assassinations and cutting what Tel Aviv views as the weapons supply line, including arms smuggled from Syria. 

It includes positioning troops up to southern villages within 10 kilometers and focusing, as much as possible, on fully clearing the area south of the Litani River and destroying rocket launchers and storage sites.

In light of the difficulties in achieving the full disarmament of Hezbollah, a scenario not previously discussed was raised during the session. If Lebanese state efforts to disarm Hezbollah fail, the Israeli army would concentrate its operations in southern Lebanon while coordinating with the Syrians, according to an Israeli official, to operate in another confrontation zone with the group centered in the Bekaa region.

Meanwhile, 20 Knesset members signed a letter sent to cabinet and government members urging them not to adopt the army’s plan and instead seize what they described as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to completely eliminate Hezbollah.

These positions were met with warnings indicating that Israel is facing a dilemma. The army entered the battle unprepared, both in terms of intelligence and due to shortages of aircraft and interceptor missiles, while also dealing with disorganization in the Northern Command, on the home front, and in its media operations.

More concerning, the home front remains unprotected, while Hezbollah’s capabilities in launching precision and cluster rockets allow it to continue its attacks for at least five months, amid significant shortcomings and shortages in Israel’s defense systems.