Would you like to receive notifications on latest updates of the following headlines?

Israel commence halting Hezbollah's as officials warn of a wider operation

POSTED ON September 17, 2024 •   Breaking News      BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara
Smoke rises above Lebanon following an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Israel's border with Lebanon, in Israel, September 16, 2024. l Credit: Reuters

Israel announced Tuesday that halting Hezbollah's attacks in the north in order to allow its residents to return is now an official war goal, as the country considers a wider military operation that could ignite an all-out conflict. 

Israeli officials have repeatedly threatened to take heavier military action to halt the near-daily attacks, which began shortly after the outbreak of the nearly yearlong Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Israel has regularly launched airstrikes in response and has targeted and killed senior Hezbollah commanders. As recently as last month it appeared a full-blown war was imminent. 

The tit-for-tat strikes have displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border. Hezbollah has said it would halt the attacks if there is a ceasefire in Gaza, but those talks have repeatedly bogged down. The United States has pressed for restraint even as it has rushed military aid to Israel, warning its close ally that a wider war would not achieve its goals. 

Israeli media have meanwhile reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering firing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and replacing him with a politician seen as far more hawkish. That would be the biggest leadership shakeup in Israel since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack triggered the war in Gaza and set off wider regional tensions. 

The announcement on Lebanon came after Israel's security Cabinet met late into the night. It said the Cabinet has “updated the objectives of the war” to include safely returning the residents of the north to their homes. “Israel will continue to act to implement this objective,” it said. 

US envoy Amos Hochstein, who has made several visits to Lebanon and Israel to try to ease tensions, met with Netanyahu on Monday. 

Hochstein told the prime minister that intensifying the conflict with Hezbollah would not help achieve the goal of returning Israelis to their homes, according to a US official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks. 

Hochstein said Netanyahu risked sparking a broad and protracted regional conflict if he moved forward with a full-scale war in Lebanon and said the Biden administration remained committed to finding a diplomatic solution in conjunction with a Gaza ceasefire or on its own, the official said. 

Netanyahu told Hochstein that residents cannot return without “a fundamental change in the security situation in the north,” according to a statement from the prime minister's office. 

It said that while Netanyahu “appreciates and respects” US support, Israel will “do what is necessary to safeguard its security." 

Defense Minister Gallant has meanwhile said the focus of the conflict is shifting from Gaza to Israel's north. He told US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin this week that time is running out for an agreement with Hezbollah, saying “the trajectory is clear.” 

Hezbollah has said that while it does not want a wider war it is prepared for one. 

Raed Berro, a member of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, said Monday that the party “is ready for confrontation and has a lot in its pocket to deter the enemy and protect Lebanon in case Netanyahu thinks of expanding the war.” 

The war in Gaza began when Hamas launched a surprise attack into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage. Fighters are still holding around 100 captives, a third of whom are believed to be dead, after releasing most of the rest during a ceasefire last year. 

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 41,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not specify how many were fighters but says just over half were women and children. The Israeli bombardment and ground invasion has devastated large areas of the densely populated enclave and driven around 90% of its 2.3 million residents from their homes. 

Iran supports Hamas, Hezbollah and other armed groups across the region, which have carried out strikes on Israeli and US targets in solidarity with the Palestinians. A missile launched by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militias on Sunday set off air raid sirens in central Israel without causing casualties. Israel has hinted at a military response. 

Israel and Iran traded fire directly for the first time in April, and Iran has threatened to avenge the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in an explosion in its capital in July. The targeted killing was widely blamed on Israel, which has not said whether it was involved. 

The United States, Qatar and Egypt have spent most of this year trying to broker an agreement in which Hamas would release the hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. 

President Joe Biden endorsed the framework of the agreement in May and the UN Security Council backed it days later. But since then, both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of making new and unacceptable demands, and the talks appear to be at an impasse. 

READ ALSO
Tinubu Launches National Mechanised Farming Programme to Tackle Food Insecurity
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 23, 2025 0

In a bid to combat food insecurity and encourage youth participation in farming, President Bola Tinu...

READ ALSO
Oil Prices Surge Amid U.S. Airstrikes on Iran's Nuclear Sites
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 23, 2025 0

Oil prices rose on Monday while the dollar gained strength following the U.S. airstrikes on Iran's n...

READ ALSO
FG Coordinates Evacuation Plans for Citizens in Iran-  Minister
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 22, 2025 0

ABUJA, Nigeria - The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has refuted false narrati...

READ ALSO
Governors, FG Unite to Tackle Food Security Challenges
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 20, 2025 0

The 36 state governors have come together to collaborate with the Federal Government on harmonizing...

READ ALSO
Tinubu to Launch Multiple Development Projects Today in Kaduna
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 19, 2025 0

KADUNA, Nigeria - President Bola Tinubu is anticipated to arrive in Kaduna State today for the inaug...

READ ALSO
ECOWAS Calls for Unified Action Against Plastic Pollution at World Environment Day
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 18, 2025 0

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is calling for a unified regional effort from...

READ ALSO
Trump Proposes Visa Ban on Nigeria Amid Corruption Concerns
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 15, 2025 0

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has initiated plans to impose a general visa ban o...

READ ALSO
Nigeria's Crude Oil Prices Surge to $80 Amid Rising Tensions Between Israel and Iran
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 14, 2025 0

Amid the increasing tensions between Israel and Iran, Nigeria's crude oil prices surged to nearly $8...

OUR CHANNELS:

Qatar Closes Airspace After Iranian Strike on U.S. Base in Doha
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 24, 2025 0

In a swift move to safeguard lives and property, the government of Qatar has closed its airspace fol...


Tinubu Launches National Mechanised Farming Programme to Tackle Food Insecurity
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 24, 2025 0

In a bid to combat food insecurity and encourage youth participation in farming, President Bola Tinu...


NGX Opens Week Bullish, Gains N279bn Amid Renewed Investor Confidence
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 24, 2025 0

The Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) commenced the trading week on a bullish trajectory, adding N279...


EFCC Urges Students to Shun Internet Fraud, Embrace Positive Online Ventures
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 24, 2025 0

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has called on Ni...


Abia Govt Vows Crackdown After Cult Clash Leaves One Dead
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 24, 2025 0

ABIA, Nigeria - A suspected cultist was shot dead while another was apprehended following a violent...


Tinubu Showoff Chicago Classmate Amid Lingering Certificate Forgery Controversy
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 24, 2025 0

ABUJA, Nigeria - Amid ongoing public debate over his academic credentials, President Bola Tinubu on...


Oil Prices Surge Amid U.S. Airstrikes on Iran's Nuclear Sites
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 24, 2025 0

Oil prices rose on Monday while the dollar gained strength following the U.S. airstrikes on Iran's n...


POS Terminals Drive N223tn in Transactions Amid Shift From ATMs
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 23, 2025 0

Point of Sale (POS) terminals processed transactions worth N223.27 trillion in 2024, marking a drama...


Ned Nwoko’s Second-Term Endorsement Sparks Rift in Delta North APC
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 24, 2025 0

DELTA, Nigeria - The endorsement of Senator Ned Nwoko for a second term as representative of Delta N...


AFN Will Not Block Favour Ofili’s Switch to Turkey – Okowa
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 23, 2025 0

President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Tonobok Okowa, has stated that the federatio...


More Articles

Load more...

Menu