Once Israel ends its war with Hamas, the country may enter a battle with the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah. Tzachi Hanegbi, the head of Israel’s National Security Council, said this in an interview with Channel 12. “Hezbollah can cross the border in minutes and start a killing spree in the northern villages, just as Hamas did in southern Israel on October 7,” the adviser warns.
On October 7, the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel. A total of 1,200 Israelis were killed in the massacre; hundreds of others were kidnapped.
Although Israel is currently hitting back hard with continuous bombing of the Gaza Strip, according to Hanegbi, a new enemy is already ready. The Israeli security adviser fears that the Lebanese group Hezbollah will follow Hamas’ example and carry out a massacre in the northern border villages.
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Tensions at the border
Tensions between Israel and Lebanon have risen high recently. Since October 7, 60,000 residents of Israeli border villages have been forced to flee due to clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah. “The residents will not return unless we take the same action against Hezbollah in the north as we do against Hamas in the south,” Hanegbi said.
“We cannot acknowledge the presence of Radwan (an elite army within Hezbollah, ed.) at the border,” Hanegbi continues. “We can no longer accept that ‘Resolution 1701’ will not be implemented,” it said. The United Nations Security Council adopted that resolution in 2006 after the Israeli-Lebanese War. The agreement banned the presence of Hezbollah within about 30 kilometers of the Israeli border.
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War in the North
When asked whether a war will soon break out between Israel and Hezbollah, Hanegbi answers the following: “The situation in the north must change. If Hezbollah wants to achieve that through diplomatic means, that would be very good. But I don’t believe they will.”
According to the security adviser, the terrorist group can cross the border “in a matter of minutes” and start a killing spree in the northern villages, just as Hamas did in southern Israel on October 7. “Our country can no longer tolerate that threat,” Hanegbi said.
However, Hanegbi emphasizes that Israel wants to avoid a two-front war and will only take action against Hezbollah once Hamas is defeated. “We are not interested in a war in the north, but we will have no other choice if Hezbollah remains a threat,” it said. Although it is difficult to predict how long the conflict with Hamas will last, the advisor expects little improvement “in the coming months.”
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