Biden sends advisers to the Middle East, fears grow over potential Israel-Lebanon full-scale war
President Joe Biden sends his top advisers to the Middle East with a crucial role: to deter the outbreak of a full-scale war between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, as per "The Washington Post".
6:57 AM EST, January 8, 2024
Fears of an attack on Lebanon
This apprehension stems from the fact that Israel has communicated it's untenable to maintain the regular exchange of fire between its forces and Hezbollah along the border, and it may soon commence with a large military operation in Lebanon.
"We prefer the avenue of agreed diplomatic settlement," said Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Friday. "Yet, we are nearing the point where the sand will run out of the hourglass," he added.
U.S. officials are apprehensive that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may view an intensified conflict in Lebanon as the key to his political survival amidst domestic criticism concerning his government's failure to prevent the October 7th Hamas attack, which resulted in about 1.2 thousand deaths and approximately 240 hostages being taken to Gaza.
During confidential dialogues, the U.S. administration has cautioned Israel against a significant escalation in Lebanon. If that occurs, as the latest report of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) indicates, it will be challenging for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to prevail because their military assets and resources would be excessively spread out due to the Gaza conflict, as mentioned by "The Washington Post".
Blinken returns to Israel
US analysts fear a full-blown conflict between Israel and Lebanon could be more severe than the 2006 Israeli-Lebanese war because Hezbollah now possesses a considerably more extensive collection of long-range and precision weapons.
"The number of casualties in Lebanon could range from 300 thousand to 500 thousand, and (the war may) result in a massive evacuation of all of northern Israel," stated Bilal Saab, an expert on Lebanon at the Middle East Institute, a Washington-based team of policy advisors.
Hezbollah could potentially launch attacks further into Israel than ever before, striking sensitive targets like petrochemical facilities and nuclear reactors, while Iran may mobilize militias throughout the region.
"I don't foresee this as being limited to just these two adversaries," the expert added.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Monday, where he will discuss specific measures aimed at "preventing escalation," according to his spokesman Matt Miller, before boarding a plane heading to the Middle East.
