Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant acknowledged Thursday that the “new phase” of the war in the north of the country against the Lebanese Shiite militia party Hezbollah could present “significant opportunities” but also “great risks” for Israeli interests.
“Hezbollah feels persecuted and the sequence of our military operations will continue,” Israel’s defense minister said during a meeting with senior army commanders and other security officials, according to reports reported by the local newspaper ‘The Times of Israel’.
Gallant stressed that the main objective of Israeli operations is to ensure that civilians evacuated from the north due to Hezbollah’s incessant attacks can return “safe and sound” to their homes as soon as possible.
“As time goes by, Hezbollah will pay an ever greater price,” said the defence minister, who also insisted that the army is capable of carrying out this operation simultaneously with the military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) launched a series of attacks on Israeli territory in early October, which left nearly 1,200 dead and more than 240 hostages, and which provoked a bloody response from Israel, which quickly launched a military campaign in the Gaza Strip that has already left more than 41,200 dead.
After almost a year of war, it is estimated that there are still around a hundred hostages in the Gaza Strip – it is not known whether they are alive or dead – while Israel continues its attacks to dismantle Hamas in the Palestinian enclave.
The constant attacks on the Palestinian population have provoked a response from other regional actors, such as Hezbollah and the Houthis of Yemen – both backed by Iran – who have carried out attacks on Israeli territory and blocked Israeli commercial interests in the Red Sea, respectively.
In particular, Hezbollah has launched successive attacks against towns in northern Israel across Lebanon’s southern border, prompting the evacuation of thousands of civilians in the area. Israel claims to have begun a “new phase” of the war in the north, which will allow it to restore security in the area.