The Israel Defense Forces has been preparing for the possibility that an emerging deal between the US and Iran would force it to rein in its war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to Hebrew media reports on Sunday. It was unclear as of Sunday afternoon whether any agreement to end the war with Iran would extend to Hezbollah, as, recently, the matter of Israel’s fight against the Iran-backed terror group has been dealt with in separate negotiations in Washington.
On Saturday, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, expressed hope for an agreement that would include Lebanon, and reiterated the terror group’s ongoing refusal to disarm. He also urged Lebanese authorities to abandon direct talks with Israel, ahead of a fourth round of such discussions next month, charging that Washington “is not an honest broker.”
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, meanwhile Sunday, approved plans for the continuation of fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon after holding a situational assessment, the military said. During a visit to the Northern Command and later to the headquarters of the 401st Armored Brigade, which has been operating in Lebanon, Zamir said the IDF is “determined to deepen the blow against Hezbollah.”
Sources familiar with the matter were cited by Walla as saying that Israel would refuse to return to the status quo in Lebanon, and was insisting that it be allowed to maintain freedom of operation within the parts of southern Lebanon that it has captured since the fighting with Hezbollah renewed on March 2. The sources said that Israel had expressed its intentions to the US to keep hold of roughly seven or eight kilometers of land on the Lebanese side of the border. (Read More)
