The news
Israel announced an expansion of its warfare Tuesday aimed, among other things, at stopping attacks by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, raising fears of a broader regional conflict.
Israel will now attempt to return to their homes residents of the northern regions who fled due to cross-border fire between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.
The latest addition to the country’s goals is the negotiation of a ceasefire and the release of hostages from the struggling war in Gaza.
SIGNALS
Netanyahu hopes to solve ‘political headaches’ by replacing Gallant
As Israel expands its war aims, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant looks to be replaced by the more hardline Gideon Saar. Just like the Philadelphia corridor bottleneck “came out of nowhere“In order to thwart a hostage deal, Netanyahu has now come up with a “new excuse” – Gallant’s apparent softness on the Lebanon issue – as a pretext to move toward all-out war, and ensure the stability of his governing coalition, Haaretz’s military analyst argued. Saar’s appointment would also “ease two political headaches” for the prime minister by helping him pass a new state budget and conscription law acceptable to his ultra-Orthodox coalition partners, Reuters noted.
…But the backlash has already begun
National Unity Chairman Benny Gantz criticized Israel’s expansion of its war aims and the proposed replacement of Gallant with Saar as “security recklessness” and called the move “the painful dictionary definition of petty politics,” The Times of Israel reported. The news sent Israeli markets lower on Monday, Reuters noted, and the Israel Business Forum, which represents most of the country’s private sector workers, urged Netanyahu to reconsider his plans, arguing that they further damage the Israeli economy.
