Israel will use diplomatic and covert tactics to establish deterrence with Hamas and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, but these may fail to prevent militants from carrying out a sustained campaign against northern Israel, potentially resurging border violence and sparking regional escalation in the future. On Dec. 11, Israel's wartime cabinet member Benny Gantz said he had spoken to U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken about the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah's recent attacks on northern Israel. The comments came just days after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Dec. 6 that Israel wanted to push Hezbollah fighters back north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon in line with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Hezbollah-Israel war. He made the comments while addressing leaders from the northern Israeli communities that have been evacuated due to border fighting between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah. Gallant's...
