Lebanon: Israel aiming for something "less than total war"

A senior Lebanese government official claims that despite Israel's threats to launch a general war in the north against Hezbollah, information in the possession of the Lebanese government points to a campaign that will be "under the threshold" for such a war.

According to a report by Maariv, the senior official told the Kuwaiti news service that "according to the information in the hands of the Lebanese leadership, the Israeli military escalation will be under the threshold of war and will not reach a general war, to prevent the expansion of the conflict into a regional front. The main reason for the external pressure, primarily from the west, is Lebanon's rejection of security arrangements brought by American emissary Amos Hochstein from Israel."

The source also added that "according to reports by the UNIFIL force and the Lebanese authorities, the Israeli military deployment in the north is defensive and not offensive. In addition, a large state reported that military forces, especially tanks, APCs and artillery, are still located at a distance of more than 20 km from the border with Lebanon."