Assessment in the security establishment: Hezbollah is considering escalating its operations

Israeli security officials assess that Hezbollah is considering escalating its operations against IDF forces operating in southern Lebanon, expanding attempts to harm using explosives and broader attack patterns. Security sources warn that the temporary calm in the north is deceptive, and that Israel will respond broadly if escalation occurs.

In recent days, Israeli security officials have identified that Hezbollah is advancing and expanding its attempts to harm IDF forces operating within Lebanese territory, including through the placement of explosives. The assessment is that given the current situation in Lebanon, Hezbollah will also seek to expand its activities and employ broader attack patterns against forces in the field. However, the terrorist organization is refraining from implementing the escalation of measures due to fear of a significant Israeli response. Security sources told Channel 12 that if this indeed happens, Israel will respond more broadly against Hezbollah. A security source said of the situation in Lebanon that "the temporary calm in the north is deceptive," adding that the IDF is prepared for the calm to "be disrupted, even at the push of external factors." The background to the assessment is the military activity on the Ali Taher ridge, the most complex location where IDF forces operate, which greatly angers Hezbollah militants. The current situation in Lebanon, where Israel maintains dialogue with the Lebanese state on one hand while the IDF continues to operate and destroy Hezbollah infrastructure in the yellow line area in southern Lebanon on the other, pushes Hezbollah into a very uncomfortable position. Meanwhile, the US imposed new sanctions on Hezbollah, and a senior American official told Reuters that the goal of the move is to clarify that Hezbollah acts on behalf of the Iranian regime.