Meanwhile, Israel is preparing for a potential Hezbollah attack in the immediate future. Israel is bracing for the possibility that Hezbollah might launch a military operation against Israel as retaliation for the incident in Lebanon, during which thousands of Hezbollah operatives were injured when their communication devices exploded simultaneously across Lebanon.
After initially not mentioning Israel in their statement, Hezbollah later clarified that they hold Israel responsible for the incident: "After reviewing the facts, we hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for the pager attack." The organization added, "We will respond from an unexpected place."
According to a report by Haaretz, senior security officials were summoned today for a meeting with political leaders, where they were asked to present options for dealing with an escalation in the security situation with Hezbollah in the north. Additionally, the officials were requested to cancel previous commitments to attend this urgent meeting currently taking place at the Defense Ministry headquarters.
Whether or not related to the current preparations, recent reports indicate that the security system has identified signs of unusual Hezbollah activity in southern Lebanon. Part of the preemptive strike was the action today in Lebanon, which is expected to disrupt the organization's communication network for at least a few weeks.
It is worth noting that after a late-night cabinet meeting, the security-political cabinet stated that returning residents of the north to their homes would be one of the goals of the war. The Prime Minister's Office also stated that Israel would continue to work toward achieving this goal.
Last night, Prime Minister Netanyahu met with Amos Hochstein, the U.S. President’s special envoy, at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv. Netanyahu made it clear in his conversation with Hochstein that it would not be possible to return the residents without a fundamental change in the security situation in the north.
The Prime Minister also stated that while Israel appreciates and respects the support from the United States, it will ultimately do what is necessary to ensure its security and safely return the northern residents to their homes.
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