Israeli Officials Emphasize Intensifying War with Hezbollah Following Stalemate in Gaza Ceasefire

The Israeli Defense Minister and a leading opposition figure have stated that if no agreement is reached for the release of 101 Israeli hostages held by the extremist group Hamas in Gaza, Israel must initiate a war against Hezbollah in Lebanon to secure its northern borders. Concurrently, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army mentioned that returning Israeli war refugees to northern areas is one of the war's objectives. Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the EU, still holds 97 Israeli citizens kidnapped during last October's attack and four others from conflicts and events a decade ago as the twelfth month of the Israeli army's war in Gaza begins. The U.S. is preparing a 'final plan' for a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict to present to both Israeli and Hamas sides. Israel insists that Hamas's new demands regarding Palestinian security prisoners, which call for their release in exchange for the freedom of Israeli hostages, have derailed the efforts of mediating countries. However, the U.S., alongside Egypt and Qatar, continues its efforts, although it is unclear when the final plan will be presented. U.S. Secretary of State Blinken stated that mediators' views will be presented to the warring parties in Gaza in the coming days. According to Israeli media, amid increasing reports of the failure of U.S., Egyptian, and Qatari efforts, senior Israeli officials are speaking more explicitly about the necessity of war in Lebanon, especially as public opinion in Israel strongly supports such a war. On Sunday, September 8, the Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Galant, during a visit to the 'Netsarim' crossing in Gaza, stated that if the agreement for the release of our kidnapped citizens fails, Israel is 'obliged' to move north. He added that Israel's war in the north would be 'according to its own conditions,' which are 'more complex than the war in Gaza.' He further stated that the army is prepared to shift the 'center of gravity' of events northward and that this could happen 'quickly.' General Galant also mentioned that they would reach Yahya Sinwar, the internal leader of Hamas, who is hiding in Gaza's tunnels. According to Channel 12 of Israeli television, significant efforts are being made to reach the Sinwar brothers (Yahya and Muhammad), and it is believed that their destruction would have 'extraordinary effects' on achieving an agreement for the release of the kidnapped Israeli citizens and would allow the Israeli army to enter the war over its northern borders under better conditions. The decision to start a war in Lebanon lies with the cabinet. Benny Gantz, former Defense Minister and previous member of the Israeli war cabinet, also stated on Sunday at the MEAD conference in Washington that the time to address the northern crisis has come, and it is even overdue. He said that if the agreement for the release of hostages is not achieved in the coming days or at most a few weeks, they must move north and ensure the safe return of evacuated residents. Reserve General Gantz added that achieving Israel's goal of securing the northern border and returning refugees from that area is possible even at the cost of 'harming the country of Lebanon,' and 'unfortunately, there is no other way.' According to Gantz, UN Security Council Resolution 1701 (which ended the 34-day war between the Israeli army and Hezbollah 18 years ago but which Israel claims Hezbollah has 'violated') is no longer sufficient to secure Israel's northern borders, and after Hamas's attack on Israel last October, Israel cannot continue its previous policy regarding the north. Benny Gantz stated that the evacuation of large groups of Israeli citizens from the north of the country at the same time as the early days of the Gaza war was a 'mistake.' He said he himself was complicit in this wrong decision, and this precautionary measure stemmed from uncertainty at the beginning of the Gaza war. He stated that the real issue is 'Iran and its proxy forces in the region.' Gantz also met with the U.S. Secretary of State in Washington on this matter. The Israeli army reported targeting 15 rocket launchers of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel, fearing the entry of Hezbollah's 'Radwan' unit, which has trained for years to abduct northern Israeli citizens and dominate these areas, evacuated tens of thousands of its citizens from cities and settlements in the north of the country. Herzi Halevi, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, stated on September 8 that returning the evacuated residents of the north is the 'goal' of the army's war. He had visited the northern borders a day earlier. According to Channel 12 of Israeli television, the army has recently reviewed offensive plans for war in Lebanon and emphasized the 'full readiness' of the army for operations in this area. The network added that the decision to start a war in this area is one that the political staff (government) must make. Two weeks ago, Israel bombed multiple Hezbollah targets in a preemptive operation in Lebanon, primarily in areas further from Beirut, but extensive rocket attacks and explosive drone flights by Hezbollah in northern Israel have continued since then. Hezbollah has conditioned the end of its activities, which have continued in parallel with the Gaza war and in support of Hamas, on the conclusion of Israel's war in Gaza. The Saudi ambassador was among the attendees of Gantz's speech in Washington. Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, the Saudi ambassador to the U.S., was present at Gantz's speech at the Washington conference. According to the Times of Israel and Yedioth Ahronoth, Ms. bint Bandar later delivered a 'hopeful' speech regarding peace. Based on these reports, several former senior Israeli officials were among the listeners of Ms. bint Bandar's speech and told Israeli media that 'the doors to normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel' remain open, and this depends on an agreement in the Gaza war and the existence of a political horizon for resolving the Palestinian issue. At least 14 killed in 'Israeli airstrike on chemical weapons research center' in Syria. Israeli leaders and Saudi Arabia confirmed days before Hamas's attack on Israeli territory last October that they had taken steps toward normalizing relations. Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, called striking the normalization process between Israel and Saudi Arabia a significant achievement of Hamas's attack on Israel. The MEAD conference is a non-political global event that serves as a platform for strategic dialogues between the Middle East and the U.S., held for the first time this year in Washington.