Israeli officials affirm their desire to avoid all-out war with Lebanon

Funeral for children killed at a soccer field by a missile fired from Lebanon into the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Photo illustration: Reuters.

Other Israeli sources said the country was preparing for a prolonged war after a rocket attack on a stadium in the Golan Heights targeted a Druze town, which the Israeli government blamed on the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. Hezbollah has denied any involvement in the attack.

Iranian state media quoted Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, as saying that any Israeli attack on Lebanon would result in "serious consequences." Pezeshkian did not provide further information about the incident.

In a statement issued by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office on July 29 after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Majdal Shams, it said: "Israel will not tolerate this action. Israel's response will be swift and strong."

Israel and Hezbollah have been trying to avoid all-out war since fighting broke out in October 2023. But the attack has raised concerns that months of cross-border clashes could spill over into a wider war.

Israel carried out a drone strike on Monday that killed two Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and killed three others, including a newborn baby, sources said. The Israeli military said its air defenses shot down a drone flying from Lebanon into the Western Galilee region on July 29.

'Limited scale' response

Israel's security cabinet has given Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant the authority to decide how and when to respond to the July 27 airstrike.

In comments to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on July 29, Gallant reaffirmed that “Iranian proxy Hezbollah” would be held responsible for the missile attack.

Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted unnamed officials as saying the responses would be "limited in scope but have a major impact".

Response options range from limited strikes on infrastructure, including roads, bridges, power plants and ports, to strikes on Hezbollah weapons depots or Hezbollah commanders, the report said.

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have worsened since the Gaza war broke out and have reached their highest level since 2006.

Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, insists it carries out attacks against Israel in support of the Palestinians and has said it will only stop attacks when Israel's campaign in Gaza ends.

The conflict on the Israel-Lebanon border has forced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border to evacuate.

Although Washington blamed Hezbollah for the missile attack and defended Israel's right to respond, the US State Department said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a phone call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday stressed the importance of guarding against the risk of escalation.

The two officials discussed efforts to find a diplomatic solution to allow evacuees to return home.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby also affirmed that the incident in Golan will not affect ceasefire and hostage exchange negotiations in Gaza.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon said it had stepped up contact with the Israeli and Lebanese authorities to de-escalate tensions. Spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said: "No one wants a large-scale conflict, but miscalculations can trigger them. There is still time to find a diplomatic solution."

Flights at Beirut International Airport were canceled or delayed. Jordan's national airline, Royal Jordanian, suspended flights to Beirut. Hezbollah denied responsibility for the rocket attack. Israel seized the border area from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed it, a move not recognized internationally, but the United States considers the area to be Israeli territory.

Since October 2023, Israeli airstrikes have killed about 350 Hezbollah fighters and more than 100 civilians, according to security and medical sources.

Israel says 23 civilians and at least 17 soldiers have been killed in Hezbollah attacks since October 2023.

Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/quan-chuc-israel-khang-dinh-mong-muon-tranh-xay-ra-chien-tranh-toan-dien-voi-lebanon-204240730102709755.htm