Fears in Tel Aviv of Hezbollah launching a wide military operation as a “preemptive strike”

Israeli security officials said on Friday, June 21, 2024, that there are concerns Hezbollah might attempt a broad military move beyond recent patterns of activity as a preemptive step.

The Hebrew website “Walla” quoted unnamed Israeli security officials claiming that “there are assessments that Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah is deeply concerned about a major surprise Israeli attack on the party in southern Lebanon.”

The officials alleged that “due to Nasrallah’s fears, he is contemplating a preemptive step by launching a military campaign against Israel.”

Earlier on Friday, Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz threatened that Tel Aviv would soon take what he called “necessary decisions” to halt Hezbollah attacks.

The minister did not specify the nature of these decisions in a statement, but Israeli officials have recently threatened a comprehensive war on Lebanon unless Hezbollah fighters withdraw north of the Litani River’s borders.

Last Tuesday, the Israeli army “approved” operational plans for a wide-scale attack on Lebanon.

Hezbollah links halting its attacks on Israel to the latter ending its war on Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023.

On Wednesday, Nasrallah said Israel “intends to use Cypriot Roman airports and airspace if its airports are targeted in a comprehensive war with Lebanon,” threatening the island west of Lebanon with treating it as an enemy in such a scenario.

In turn, Cyprus informed Lebanon on Thursday that it does not intend to engage in any form of the ongoing war in the region.

Since October 8, 2023, Palestinian and Lebanese factions, including Hezbollah, have exchanged daily shelling with the Israeli army in Lebanon, resulting in hundreds killed and injured, mostly on the Lebanese side.

Lebanese factions state their solidarity with Gaza, which has suffered from an Israeli war since October 7, causing over 123,000 Palestinian casualties, mostly women and children, in addition to thousands missing.