Israel steps up northern front as Lebanon tensions escalate
The Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli Defence Forces, General Herzi Halevi, has approved a war plan for the northern front. This decision was announced by the army on Thursday, which also informed about a series of ongoing air raids on southern Lebanon aimed at weakening Hezbollah.
The army's statement was issued just before a speech by Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, which took place after a series of coordinated electronic device explosions on Tuesday and Wednesday.
As a result of these explosions in different parts of Lebanon, at least 37 people have been killed and around 3,000 injured.
In statements issued after the explosions, Hezbollah accused Israel of carrying out the attacks and vowed retaliation.
Israel enters a "new phase of the war"
The explosions coincided with another escalation of tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, raising fears of a regional war outbreak. Media speculation suggests that authorities in Jerusalem might opt for a ground operation in southern Lebanon.
Since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, the Iran-backed Hezbollah has regularly shelled northern Israel, to which Israel responds with fire. The mutual shelling has led to the evacuation of over 100,000 civilians from both sides of the border.
On Monday, the Israeli government recognised stopping Hezbollah's attacks on the north of the country and enabling the return of tens of thousands of evacuees as an official war objective. On Wednesday, Defence Minister Yoav Galant declared that Israel is entering a "new phase of the war" and is concentrating its forces in the north of the country.
