On Wednesday, the IDF continued a series of massive attacks across Lebanon, this time targeting targets linked to Hezbollah’s military intelligence wing, which continues to broadcast the terrorist organization’s intelligence penetration and its weakness in relation to Israel. In addition, many launchers aimed at the towns and northern cities were destroyed. Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets and drones at the northern half of Israel (from Zichron Yaacov and northward, as well as a single missile at Gush Dan), but these did not cause significant damage to people (only few injured) and property.
In addition, there are reports of international discussions and pressure to promote a ceasefire on the northern (and perhaps southern) front. The prime minister addressed these reports in a statement that “negotiations will only be conducted under fire” – meaning that Israel does not plan to stop putting pressure on Hezbollah before sufficient targets are achieved. The United States and France have submitted a joint outline for a 3-week ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The Israeli gain from such a move would be the severing of Nasrallah’s connection between his war and the war in the Gaza Strip; but the damage would be the ability of Hezbollah to re-organize and recover from the blows inflicted by Israel, when there is no guarantee that it will be ready to withdraw its forces and stop the war. Media networks around the world claimed that this proposal would be accepted by the parties and would take effect within a few hours, but there was no reference to it by Israeli government officials.
It should also be noted that there have been reports regarding the understandings recently reached between Hamas and Fatah regarding control of the border crossings and the civilian rule in the Gaza Strip in the “day after” the war, which reflect that Hamas is ready to relinquish some of the control of the Gaza Strip. Such agreements could bring the end of the war on the southern front closer, even though Israel would have to formulate a strategy on the proper treatment of Fatah control, as well as ways to disarm Hamas and achieve the goals of the war. In any case, the full picture is only in the hands of the decision-makers.
