A potential larger war between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah may be approaching, remarks made by the Israeli government on Monday suggested.
The possibility for an agreement is running out as Hezbollah continues to “tie itself” to the Palestinian militant organization Hamas, and refuses to end the conflict, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said at a meeting with US mediator Amos Hochstein.
“Therefore, the only way left to ensure the return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes will be via military action,” Gallant said.
His comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Hochstein, “It will not be possible to return our residents without a fundamental change in the security situation in the north.”
They were discussing the efforts to change the security situation on Israel’s border with Lebanon and ensure the safe return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes, after the violence in the area between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah.
There have been almost daily military confrontations between the Israeli army and Hezbollah in the border area between the two countries since the war between Israel and Hezbollah ally Hamas broke out in Gaza Strip 11 months ago.
There have been deaths on both sides, most of them members of Hezbollah. Hezbollah says it is acting in solidarity with Hamas.
Hochstein has been working for months to de-escalate the highly tense situation at the border, where tens of thousands of people have fled their homes.
He also warned senior Israel’s top politicians of dangerous consequences of a larger war which could further spread to the broader region, according to the Israeli TV channel N12.
Netanyahu said that while Israel appreciates and respects the support of the US, it would ultimately “do what is necessary to safeguard its security and return the residents of the north securely to their homes.”
Earlier, a Hezbollah fighter was killed and six other people were wounded in violence that engulfed areas on the Lebanese-Israeli border.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said one person was killed and four others were also injured in an Israeli airstrike on the village of Houla in southern Lebanon, with three of them taken to hospital.
Hezbollah announced the death of one of its fighters on Monday but did not say where or when he was killed, however a Lebanese security source said he was killed in the airstrike on Houla.
The ministry added that a new Israeli airstrike had slightly wounded two paramedics working for a Hezbollah-affiliated medical emergency group in Tayr Harfa in southern Lebanon.
It said that an Israeli mortar shell hit near the car of the paramedics while they were “carrying out their humanitarian duties” after the Israeli strike.
Earlier, the Israeli army said it had attacked “terrorist infrastructure” in the Houla area.
The Israeli strikes came after a number of projectiles were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel and were intercepted. No injuries were reported on the Israeli side of the border.
Hezbollah said it fired rockets at various targets in northern Israel to avenge Israeli strikes on civilian areas in southern and eastern Lebanon on Sunday.