Netanyahu intensifies Lebanon rhetoric as Israel steps up pressure on Beirut

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian 

Despite strong opposition from residents of the Avivim settlement, the Israeli military has begun constructing a concrete wall near the settlement along the border with Lebanon.

The project, for which the Israeli government has allocated substantial funding, is intended to prevent Hezbollah members from infiltrating the area.

The move coincides with an increased Israeli military presence along the border. The military also announced plans to intensify its operations in southern Lebanon, claiming it had discovered additional tunnels and weapons.

These actions have been accompanied by escalating threats from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz to expand Israel's control over parts of Lebanon.

Taken together, these developments appear to contradict statements by Israeli officials about U.S.-led efforts to facilitate the deployment of the Lebanese army in the two pilot zones and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from those areas as an initial step that could later be expanded to include withdrawals from other locations.

The developments come amid growing concerns within Israel that the front with Lebanon could turn into a war of attrition.

They also coincide with Netanyahu's efforts to secure a green light from Washington for an Israeli strike on Iran that, in his view, would achieve the shared objectives established before the most recent attack.

Netanyahu's opponents are increasingly concerned that he is exploiting the Lebanon and Iran fronts as part of his campaign for the October elections, seeking to rally support from the far right, as opinion polls indicate that support for Netanyahu increases whenever he adopts a more confrontational approach centered on military action.