Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will soon capture Bint Jbeil, a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon, as Israeli forces continue attacks on Hezbollah.
On the 15th (local time), Netanyahu said in a video message that he had instructed the military to continue reinforcing the security zone in southern Lebanon, adding that they are virtually on the verge of completely eliminating this massive Hezbollah stronghold.
He then laid out plans to expand the occupied area in southern Lebanon. He said he had ordered the Israel Defense Forces to extend the security zone eastward to the slopes of Mount Hermon, a move widely seen as Israel seeking to expand control from southern Lebanon to the Syrian border area.
Netanyahu emphasized coordination with the United States on Iran. He said the United States is continuing to share the latest intelligence with Israel and that the two countries are in complete alignment on goals including removing Iran's enriched uranium and destroying its enrichment capability.
He added that it is too early to judge how a peace deal with Iran will conclude, stressing that they are prepared to respond to any scenario with a resumption of fighting in mind if talks fail.
As discussions on a second round of peace talks between the United States and Iran were considered, there had been speculation that a Lebanon cease-fire decision could be made. But after Netanyahu approved new battle plans against Lebanon and Iran and continued hard-line remarks, analysts said he signaled a strong determination to take military action.
The previous day, Israel and Lebanon held peace talks, and the Lebanese government requested a cease-fire.
Meanwhile, with a domestic trial looming over corruption charges, Netanyahu reportedly notified the court that he would not appear due to concerns about assassination by Iranian operatives.
Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 on charges including bribery and breach of trust, and the trial that began in 2020 has repeatedly been delayed, citing security crises and other reasons, dragging on into its sixth year without progress.