The Israeli army on Tuesday said plans for an offensive in Lebanon were "approved and validated" amid escalating cross-border clashes with Hezbollah and a relative lull in Gaza fighting.
The war in Gaza has heightened tensions across the region, with Israeli forces and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, exchanging fire on a near-daily basis.
"Operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon were approved and validated" as commanders met for a situational assessment, the army said in a statement.
It came after Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz threatened Hezbollah's destruction in a "total war."
In a message for Eid al-Adha, U.S. President Joe Biden has called for the implementation of a cease-fire plan he outlined last month, saying it was "the best way to end the violence."
U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein said the plan would ultimately lead to "the end of the conflict in Gaza," which would, in turn, quell fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
But Israel's top diplomat on Tuesday said: "We are very close to the moment when we will decide to change the rules of the game against Hezbollah and Lebanon."
"In a total war, Hezbollah will be destroyed, and Lebanon will be hit hard," Katz said in a statement from his ministry.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/06/19/world/israel-lebanon-offensive-plan/