Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Galant attend vote on the state budget at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, March 13, 2024. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
The Israeli Security Cabinet on Monday declared the safe return of the tens of thousands of evacuated residents of northern Israel to be one of the ongoing war’s central goals.
“The Security Cabinet has updated the objectives of the war to include the following: Returning the residents of the north securely to their homes. Israel will continue to act to implement this objective,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) stated.
The addition of this new goal, addressing the ongoing fighting on Israel’s northern border signals a growing shift in Israel’s focus and resources from the war in the Gaza Strip to countering the relentless attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The other declared goals of the war are the return of the Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity, and the dismantling of Hamas’ military and governance capabilities.
While the declaration was initially pushed by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, he is reportedly in favor of continuing U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement and avoid an all-out war, which is expected to be much more challenging for Israel than the Gaza conflict.
The IDF recently announced the defeat of Hamas’ Rafah Brigade, one of the last units of the terror group to fight as a coherent formation. Now, the fighting in Gaza mainly concentrates on dismantling Hamas’ massive terror infrastructure, mainly its tunnel network, and rescuing the Israeli hostages.
In recent weeks, the focus of Israel’s political leadership has increasingly shifted to the north. Following a large-scale pre-emptive strike by the IDF that prevented a significant attack planned by Hezbollah several weeks ago, Israeli leaders have warned that an Israeli offensive starting an all-out war may be approaching.
Within the top leadership, a struggle has reportedly emerged regarding how to address the situation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly considering firing Gallant due to his lack of support for an Israeli offensive and replacing him with the more hawkish Gideon Sa’ar.
According to media reports, Netanyahu is backing IDF Northern Command Chief, Maj.-Gen. Uri Gordin, who has been pushing the political leadership to approve a military offensive to change the situation on the northern frontier.
Gordin has been lobbying leaders for some time to greenlight a ground offensive aimed at capturing a buffer zone in southern Lebanon along the Israeli border, to prevent Hezbollah from using the area to launch attacks.
Israel Hayom said Gordin favors a quick, large-scale ground incursion, believing that the losses sustained by Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force so far, and the flight of some 80% of the civilians in the area, will enable the IDF to quickly push out the rest of the terror group’s fighters.
Netanyahu reportedly supports a military offensive but wants it to be more limited than the large invasion Gordin has outlined.
On Monday, Netanyahu and Gallant told U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein that Israel doesn’t see another way to end Hezbollah’s attacks other than through a military operation.
In response, Hochstein warned that a broader operation not only would fail to enable the return of the tens of thousands of evacuated citizens but also risks triggering a regional conflagration.
