Amid Hostage Negotiations, US & Israelis Prepare for Wider Conflict with Iran Proxies
JERUSALEM, Israel – From the White House to the Lebanese border and beyond, U.S. and Israeli leaders are deciding how to deal with Iran and its proxies in the Middle East. One possible – some would say probable – scenario is the prospect of a wider war on multiple fronts.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Monday that the time for diplomacy is slipping away with Lebanon.
“There will be a stage when our patience will run out and our ability to contain this matter will expire, and as a result of this we may end up with forceful action," Gallant stated.
Iran's largest proxy in the region, Hezbollah, has been waging a low-scale war against Israel in the months after October 7th.
Surveying the scene from Israel's northern border, Gallant said Israel's Home Front Command is preparing for war, and his assessment included a more specific warning for Lebanon.
“What you saw in Gaza can be copied to Lebanon, and the Air Force dedicates a small part of its force to Gaza," Gallant explained. "It keeps a large part of its force on standby in order to deal with a northern scenario. I hope we don't get to this situation, but we are prepared in this matter.”
The fighting also spread to Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank, where Israeli forces carried out a raid Tuesday in a hospital in Jenin.
Officials say they killed three Hamas operatives on the verge of launching a terrorist attack.
The hospital security camera footage shows disguised undercover Israeli agents entering the hospital.
Afterward, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with IDF troops.
His exhortation to the soldiers included a reminder of the critical importance of Judea and Samaria in the conflict.
“This is an arena that is not just important, it is super important," Netanyahu said. "I know that you invest in it, both in defense and attack. It seems to me that since the beginning of this year, even more so, of course, since the beginning of the war, half a thousand terrorists have already been eliminated here, and there's more to be done, including today in Jenin."
At the White House Wednesday, Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will meet with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to discuss the ongoing war and securing the release of the remaining hostages.
While you are at home with your loved ones, these Israeli women are being held hostage by Hamas, hidden in a cold and dark tunnel or room somewhere in Gaza.
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) January 27, 2024
They could be your daughters. Your sisters. Your friends.
It’s been 113 days. #BringThemHomeNow pic.twitter.com/Vbz9VLTbJW
In the meantime, President Joe Biden says he's decided how to respond to Sunday's deadly attack on U.S. troops in Jordan, but offered no details.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility. Still, many blame Iran for the attack.
The U.S. reportedly will strike multiple targets over several days, targeting Iran-backed forces in the region that supplied and carried out the attack.
On the diplomatic front, for the first time, the U.N. is turning its attention to sexual assault by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attacks. The world body has been criticized for its silence over the rape, torture, and murder of Jewish women.
Israel's First Lady Michal Herzog met with Pramilla Patten, the U.N. Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict. It's the first visit by a U.N. representative to investigate the sexual assaults committed by Hamas on October 7th. Patten called on the victims of Hamas to tell their stories.
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