Israel’s Defense Minister rejected French efforts to end the Israel-Hezbollah conflict
As part of any diplomatic agreement with Hezbollah, Israel has required the group to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River in Lebanon, in accordance with regulations. resolution of the United Nations Security Council ended the 2006 war between the two sides. The resolution stipulates that only United Nations forces and the Lebanese army will be allowed into the zone, but both sides accuse the other of violations.
Analysts say it is unlikely that Hezbollah will withdraw its forces from the border. Instead, French mediators have proposed a smaller buffer zone that would extend about six miles beyond Lebanon’s border with Israel and increase the number of Lebanese troops stationed in the border area.
Without an agreement to halt the attacks, both sides have opted for limited escalation, with Hezbollah launching hundreds of rockets and Israel striking deeper into Lebanese territory. Analysts and officials say that while neither Israel nor Hezbollah appear to want a full-blown war, a miscalculation could turn both sides into one.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces killed a senior Hezbollah commander in an attack in southern Lebanon, prompting Hezbollah to respond by firing some of the heaviest rocket salvos of the current conflict at Israel.
On Friday, Hezbollah launched 70 more rockets, setting off alarms across northern Israel, but they caused little damage, according to the Israeli military. The Israeli army said it responded with artillery fire.
According to a Lebanese security official, the missiles were a response to an overnight Israeli attack on a three-story building in southern Lebanon, which killed two people. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was no indication that Hezbollah commanders were killed in the attack. The Israeli military declined to comment on the attack.
On Thursday, Hezbollah attacks injured four people in Israel, including two soldiers. Falling rockets, interceptor missiles and Israeli shrapnel have also sparked wildfires that have burned more than 11,000 acres in Israel over the past two weeks, according to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
