“Israel’s Northern Border Is Ablaze.” So London’s The Economist headlined its coverage of the escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon on June 17. The following day the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the head of the IDF’s Northern Command Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, and head of the Operations Directorate Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk had approved battle plans for fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon, reported the Times of Israel. The IDF said the generals held an assessment, during which “operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon were approved.” The top commanders also made decisions regarding “accelerating the readiness of the forces on the ground,” the military added.
U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein was in Lebanon yesterday, on his mission to make it look like the White House was trying to exert control over the flow of events similar to its fruitless effort in Gaza. “We’ve seen an escalation over the past few weeks,” Hochstein told reporters in Beirut after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. “What President Biden wants to do is to avoid a further escalation into a greater war.”
