Current:Home > InvestIsrael warns about Lebanon border hostilities: "The hourglass for a political settlement is running out" -Keystone Wealth Vision
Israel warns about Lebanon border hostilities: "The hourglass for a political settlement is running out"
View
Date:2025-04-27 14:43:32
Israeli government minister Benny Gantz, one of three men who make up the country's emergency war cabinet, is threatening to intensify Israeli military action at the Israel-Lebanon border, where Hezbollah militants have been firing at northern Israel.
"I want to say to the world: The situation on the northern border requires a change," Gantz said at a press conference late Wednesday, adding that residents of border communities who have been evacuated due to the fighting there need to be returned to their homes.
"The hourglass for a political settlement is running out. If the world and Lebanon's government will not work to stop the shooting at Israel and to distance Hezbollah from the border, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will do so," Gantz said.
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israeli forces had "high readiness" for an expansion of fighting in the north but that "the first task is to return the residents home with a sense of security, and this will take time."
Israel's foreign minister, Eli Cohen, toured Israel's northern border on Wednesday and said Hezbollah must respect the 2006 cease-fire that calls on the group to withdraw from the border area or Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah "must understand that he's next," The Associated Press reports.
"We will operate to make the most of the diplomatic option," Cohen said. "If it doesn't work, all options are on the table."
The Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah has been firing rockets and artillery and sending drones over the Lebanese border with Israel in support of Hamas on a regular basis since the war began on October 7.
Israel has also been firing into Lebanon, killing over 150 people there, mainly Hezbollah militants, according to the AFP news agency. At least 20 deaths have been civilians, and three of them have been journalists, AFP reports.
On the Israeli side of the Lebanon border, at least nine soldiers and four civilians have been killed in hostilities, according to AFP.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces bombed locations across Gaza overnight, killing dozens of people. Over 21,000 people have been killed so far in the hostilities there, according to the Hamas-run authority there, and 85% of the population has been displaced.
Palestinians fleeing the expanded Israeli operations in central Gaza have filled up shelters near the border with Egypt, and the United Nations humanitarian office says the intense fighting in the enclave is impeding its ability to deliver aid.
The U.N. says the World Food Program managed to reach about a half million people with food parcels between December 23 and 26, but UNRWA, the agency that operates within the Gaza Strip, said Thursday that 40% of the people there are now at risk of famine.
- In:
- Hamas
- Israel
- Hezbollah
- Gaza Strip
- Lebanon
Haley Ott is cbsnews.com's foreign reporter, based in the CBS News London bureau. Haley joined the cbsnews.com team in 2018, prior to which she worked for outlets including Al Jazeera, Monocle, and Vice News.
Twitter InstagramveryGood! (26)
Related
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- What is gabapentin? Here's why it's so controversial.
- Daniel Day-Lewis Returning to Hollywood After 7-Year Break From Acting
- Opinion: If you think Auburn won't fire Hugh Freeze in Year 2, you haven't been paying attention
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- She lost her job after talking with state auditors. She just won $8.7 million in whistleblower case
- Video of fatal shooting of Kentucky judge by accused county sheriff shown in court
- Washington airman receives award after carrying injured 79-year-old hiker down trail
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Opinion: MLB's Pete Rose ban, gambling embrace is hypocritical. It's also the right thing to do.
Ranking
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Scammers are accessing Ticketmaster users' email accounts, stealing tickets, company says
- Watch a sailor's tears at a surprise welcome home from her dad
- Condoms aren’t a fact of life for young Americans. They’re an afterthought
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Gap Fall Clothes That Look Expensive: Affordable Luxury for 60% Off
- Are LGBTQ Jews welcome in Orthodox communities? This is how they are building spaces of their own
- Sabrina Carpenter Shares Her Family's Reaction to Her NSFW Performances
Recommendation
Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
How Climate Change Intensified Helene and the Appalachian Floods
Former Packers RB Eddie Lacy arrested, charged with 'extreme DUI'
Rapper YG arrested on suspicion of DUI, plans to contest allegations
Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
'Congrats on #2': Habit shades In-N-Out with billboard after burger ranking poll
'Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' Season 2 finale: Release date, time, cast, where to watch
Ken Page, Voice of Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas, Dead at 70