North Front Already Open, 1k Hezbollah Operations Against IOF: Reports

By Al Mayadeen English

22 Dec 2023 03:57

Retired Israeli general Israel Ziv describes the situation in the north of occupied Palestine as "harder than the south."

Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, the international spokesman for the Israeli occupation military, highlighted that the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah, has carried out more than 1,000 attacks against "Israel" since October 7, Jonathan Spyer wrote in a report published in The Wall Street Journal.

Spyer mentioned that Hezbollah seeks to maintain a controlled second front to aid its allies in the south, in reference to the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza.

"We see a steady escalation in terms of the range and variety of munitions being launched by Hezbollah at Israel," Conricus told foreign journalists at a briefing in Kibbutz "Rosh Hanikra" in northern occupied Palestine on December 18.

"We can do the same, if we need to, against Hezbollah that we are doing against Hamas in the south. This may be the scenario that we will need to implement," the Israeli spokesperson warned.

Spyer wrote, "Ben, a reservist squad commander in the airborne infantry, laughed when I asked him about the possibility of a northern war."

"It’s a myth that Israel might open a front in the north," the Israeli commander was quoted as saying, "because there’s already a front open."

1701 reversed in the North

On his part, retired Israeli general Israel Ziv described the situation in the north as "1701 reversed," where Israelis are the ones "withdrawing backward".

Resolution 1701 was a United Nations Security Council resolution reached in the wake of the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon. It calls for the full cessation of hostilities and the deployment of the Lebanese Army to Southern Lebanon, as well as the establishment of a demilitarized zone between the Blue Line and the Litani River.

Ziv described the situation in the north as "harder than the south" because it involves agriculture and homes, pointing out that "the place is barren," and the settlement of "Kiryat Shmona," one of the largest settlements in northern occupied Palestine, is now a "ghost town".

Earlier on Thursday, Israeli media reported that gunfire from Lebanon is "more significant and powerful than gunfire from Gaza."

Ziv's statements come at a time when Israelis seek to "push Hezbollah beyond the Litani River," as stipulated by Resolution 1701 issued in August 2006. "Israel" sought to achieve this goal through its aggression on Lebanon in July of the same year but failed.

Israeli media revealed on Thursday the complete destruction of 86 out of 155 housing units in the "Menara" settlement alone, as a result of the attacks carried out by Hezbollah.

Moreover, they pointed out that anger was mounting in that settlement over the occupation government’s performance, stating that "half the houses are demolished, and there is no place to return to."

This comes as the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon continues to carry out operations against Israeli settlements and sites in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza and their Resistance and in response to the Israeli occupation forces targeting civilians in southern Lebanon.