Netanyahu announces control over 'security zone' in Lebanon, Israeli intention to expand operations towards the Awali River

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed, during a field visit to southern Lebanon, that Israeli forces had succeeded in neutralizing what he described as the 'invasion threat' posed by Hezbollah. Netanyahu appeared in a video recording wearing a bulletproof vest amidst heavy security, emphasizing that military operations would continue within the security zone to ensure that border threats do not return.

In the context of the escalating field operations, sources reported that the Israeli army carried out more than 200 airstrikes in recent hours, targeting various locations in southern Lebanon. This intensity of fire comes at a time when questions are mounting about future strategic objectives, and whether Tel Aviv seeks to impose a new military reality as an alternative to permanent diplomatic solutions.

Field assessments indicate that the Israeli military command is preparing to shift the focus of its operations from south of the Litani River to the area between the Litani and Awali Rivers. This shift aims to pursue missile launch platforms that Israel claims are now concentrated in those northern areas, necessitating an expansion of the presumed security belt.

For its part, Hebrew press reports revealed an Israeli intention to exert intense political pressure on the Lebanese negotiating delegation in Washington. These pressures center on the necessity of disarming Hezbollah in the 'central Lebanon' region, a term Israel uses to refer to the geographical areas extending behind the current front lines of confrontation.

On the diplomatic front, a new round of negotiations is expected to begin in the United States next Tuesday, involving officials from Lebanon, Israel, and the American side. Through these talks, Israel seeks to secure security gains that legitimize its presence or operations in areas it considers a source of continuous missile threat.

In contrast, the pace of Hezbollah's military response has not stopped, with field sources observing missile and drone attacks at a rate of approximately one operation per hour. Sirens have repeatedly sounded in the Nahariya and Galilee regions, and around Metula, extending to the occupied Syrian Golan, reflecting the party's insistence on continued attrition.

Israeli military censorship conceals the extent of human and material losses resulting from these missile barrages, and they are only disclosed in cases of confirmed casualties. The field situation remains open to all possibilities with the continuation of mutual 'messages of fire' between the two sides, awaiting the outcome of political movements in Washington.

The war continues within the security zone in Lebanon, and we have eliminated the invasion threat that Hezbollah was planning.