A short time ago (Tuesday), the IDF identified and eliminated three Hezbollah terrorists entering a military structure in Blida in southern Lebanon. The loop was quickly closed with an air strike which eliminated the terrorists.
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The Prime Minister's Office announced this morning (Tuesday) that the security cabinet has updated the government's war aims to include returning the residents of the north securely to their homes and that "Israel will continue to act to implement this objective."
According to Channel 14 reporter Tamir Morag, there was a consensus between Netanyahu, Gallant, and IDF Chief of Staff Halevi regarding the importance of reaching a negotiated settlement with Hezbollah, even if far from ideal.
Now, both Netanyahu and Gallant, each for their own reasons, has concluded that war is likelier than not and that the efforts by mediators such as US envoy Amos Hochstein have exhausted themselves and no longer serve a purpose.
However, the IDF itself is still divided, as Halevi opposes a war, as do many senior officers within the army. Northern Command, meantime, is very much in favor of a war with Hezbollah.
How the debate and the war will unfold thus remains to be seen with such a divided leadership.
