US officials are anticipating a significant escalation in fighting between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in the coming days, potentially leading to a full-blown war, Politico reported on Friday, citing sources close to President Joe Biden’s administration. This comes after thousands of Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies detonated across Lebanon this week, an attack believed to have been orchestrated by Israel.
According to West Jerusalem officials who spoke with Washington, the Israeli government is planning to use military action to pressure Hezbollah into agreeing to a diplomatic solution that would enable Israelis to return to their homes in the northern region. Around 60,000 people were evacuated from northern Israel due to near-daily attacks by Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon.
The situation is expected to deteriorate further in the coming days, with potential ongoing attacks in Lebanon and anticipated retaliation from Hezbollah against Israel. The military action could include the assassination of Hezbollah commanders, strikes against Hezbollah military targets, and additional attacks on the group’s communications infrastructure, according to one official who spoke with Politico.
On Friday, Israel bombed a residential building in Beirut, killing two top Hezbollah commanders. The current escalation between Hezbollah and Israel is the largest since the 2006 Lebanon War. Since the conflict with Hamas in Gaza began in October last year, the two sides have frequently exchanged cross-border artillery and rocket fire, but hostilities have so far stopped short of full-scale, direct engagement.