Halevi approves expansion of Israeli ground operations in southern Lebanon, security warnings for Netanyahu

Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has approved expanding ground operations in southern Lebanon, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported Sunday evening, as security officials warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to avoid staying in fixed or specific locations for security reasons.

The new operation includes the deployment of thousands of regular and reserve soldiers, amid expectations that the expansion will lead to more intense confrontations with Hezbollah fighters in the targeted areas.

Channel 11 reported that high-level Israeli security sources indicated that expanding the operations aims to deepen "the achievements made by Israeli forces so far in Lebanon" and reach additional sites where Hezbollah is believed to be active.

Regarding the settlers, military officials told Israel's Channel 12 that returning them to the north is still out of the question at the moment. The officials justified this decision by saying that the security situation on the border remains unstable, with ongoing fears of possible attacks on northern towns.

Negotiations progress

In parallel with the military operations, Israeli reports indicated that Tel Aviv is studying the option of reaching a temporary ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, fearing the issuance of a UN Security Council resolution that might impose strict restrictions on the Israeli army’s operations.

Channel 12 Israel indicated that this option comes within a strategy aimed at avoiding any international restrictions that could affect "Israel's military freedom" in the region.

Israeli Army Radio revealed that Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer made a secret visit to Moscow last week, with the aim of discussing the possibility of reaching a ceasefire agreement, and Dermer was assigned the responsibility of negotiating this issue as a representative of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Reports indicated that Russia could play a pivotal role in reaching an agreement that would ensure stability in Lebanon and prevent Hezbollah from being armed again.

Hezbollah has repeatedly said this year that any ceasefire in Lebanon must be conditional on a halt to Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip, complicating the picture for Israel, which finds itself facing a double challenge on the Lebanese and Gaza fronts.

These developments come at a time when Israel is intensifying its ground operations in Lebanon, reflecting the escalation of tension on the northern front and putting the Israeli leadership before difficult choices.

Security warnings for Netanyahu

Israeli Channel 12 reported that security officials recommended that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu avoid staying in fixed or specific locations, for security reasons.

Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu has been holding his meetings in a fortified room in the Prime Minister's Office since the assassination attempt last October.

At the time, Netanyahu accused what he described as "Iran's arms" of trying to assassinate him and his wife, hours after a drone attack targeted his private home in the city of Caesarea in northern Israel, but he and his family were not at home at the time.

Postponement of hearing

Channel 12 also said that the Prime Minister's legal team will ask the court to postpone for two and a half months to hear his testimony on several charges against him, so that he will not be in the same place again.

In December 2023, the Jerusalem District Court resumed Netanyahu's trial, which includes charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

Recently, the Prime Minister's Office has been facing four serious cases, one of which is related to an attempt to change documents regarding early warnings before October 7 of last year.

Serious issues

The most serious of these cases is the case of leaking secret documents, as a result of which 5 people were arrested, including an advisor in Netanyahu’s office and a senior officer. The case relates to stealing information from the army and leaking it to foreign media outlets, with the aim of influencing public opinion regarding the prisoner exchange deal.

The second issue concerns attempts to change protocols on the war on Gaza, to influence any official investigation into the failures of October 7.

The third case concerns the efforts of officials in Netanyahu's office to blackmail a senior officer with a shameful video that fell into their hands, in exchange for additional secret information.

The fourth case concerns a video clip of former Defense Minister Yoav Galant, which documents guards preventing Galant from entering Netanyahu's office days after the war broke out.

(Al Jazeera + Agencies)