Israel fears Hezbollah’s attack
Israeli writer Ben Caspit said, on Saturday, that after the collapse of the Lebanese maritime agreement, Israel fears Hezbollah’s attack, adding: “The Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, is still ready to sign the deal”.
Caspit noted that Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, takes into account the possibility of escalation with Israel, adding that at the end of last week, Lebanon handed the American mediator Amos Hochstein several comments and demands regarding his final draft proposal to the two sides.
At the same time, Netanyahu’s attack on the agreement reached its climax.
He accused Lapid’s government of treason against Israel’s settlers, and of trying to force Israel into an agreement without the approval of the Knesset.
He pointed out that Netanyahu, it seems, “Doesn’t care that these accusations don’t hold up… His goal is to use it to disrupt Lapid’s voting momentum and convince the so-called light-right voters that they shouldn’t entrust Lapid and the center-left bloc with their future”.
Caspit continued, “Israeli security and diplomatic sources initially described Lebanon’s comments on Hochstein’s draft as somewhat acceptable, being of limited importance and barely terms that would spoil the entire deal.
But a few days later, following Netanyahu’s unrestrained attack and his success in convincing some voters that Lapid was capitulating to Nasrallah, Lapid was forced to return to the political scene”.
Today, the Israeli media called on the residents of the north to go out to the streets and seek protection, noting that “the agreement with Lebanon is the only savior for the residents of the north, and it is the difference between life and a mass catastrophe”.
Yesterday, an expert on Arab-Israeli affairs, Yoni Ben-Menahem, said that Hezbollah estimates that Israel is interested in reaching a demarcation agreement on the maritime border with Lebanon, and that Israel will eventually retreat because it is under pressure.
