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IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari warned on Sunday that Hezbollah’s escalating aggression was pushing the region toward a wider conflict.
“Hezbollah’s increasingly aggressive behavior brings us to the brink of a broader escalation that could have disastrous consequences for Lebanon and the entire region,” Hajari said in a statement to foreign media. He added that since October 7, the Lebanese terrorist group “has launched more than 5,000 rockets, anti-tank missiles and explosive drones from Lebanon at Israeli homes, houses and communities.”
IDF spokesman Major General Daniel Hagari addresses Hezbollah
（Video: IDF Spokesperson’s Office）
“Hezbollah is jeopardizing Lebanon’s future in order to serve as a shield for Hamas. A shield for Hamas terrorists who killed the elderly, raped women, burned children to death and kidnapped Jews, Muslims and Christians in the October 7 massacre. When we say we will not let the events of October 7 happen again on any of our borders, we mean it.”
He stressed Israel’s commitment to protecting its citizens, saying: “Israel has a duty to defend the Israeli people. We will fulfil that duty at all costs.”
It was a rare day of calm on Israel’s northern border, an area that has been at the center of conflict for months. The last alarm sounded at 3:21 a.m. in the town of Hillah, and there have been no more since then. Hezbollah has not claimed responsibility for any of the incidents. Earlier, at 12:27 a.m., an alarm in an Upper Galilee settlement was believed to be a false alarm. The relative calm could be attributed to the Eid al-Adha holiday.
IDF air strikes in southern Lebanon
（Video: IDF Spokesperson’s Office）
Despite the lull, Israeli attacks continued throughout the day and Hezbollah’s inaction did not indicate a shift in strategy. Hezbollah has vowed to keep fighting as long as Israel continues its operations in the Gaza Strip.
White House special envoy for the Middle East, Amos Hochstein, is expected to arrive in Israel on Monday before visiting Beirut to meet with Lebanese officials, including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib.
Hagari’s comments come as Israeli government funding for hotels and apartments housing more than 61,000 displaced northern Israeli residents, who are due to return home on July 7, is set to expire.
At a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Tourism Minister Haim Katz protested the lack of a decision to extend the evacuation of all northern and southern communities, demanding security for displaced people and hotels. The prime minister’s office promised a decision within a week.
Meanwhile, Ynet has learned that, as in the past, the government is unlikely to provide long-term stability and certainty for residents. While there are no clear signs that security will return to the north, tens of thousands of displaced people from 41 northern communities are expected to remain in place for only a few weeks to two months longer.
Some government officials still hope that Hezbollah will move its forces beyond the Litani River and that the threat of border infiltration and anti-tank missile attacks by Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Forces can be resolved diplomatically.
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![[Euro Cup]England won its long-awaited first victory, losing 1-0 to Serbia, with 20-year-old Bellingham scoring the winning goal](https://broadcastunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/202406170000038-w500_0-100x100.jpg "[Euro Cup]England won its long-awaited first victory, losing 1-0 to Serbia, with 20-year-old Bellingham scoring the winning goal")