Israel debates the pros and cons of a war against Hezbollah

SUBSCRIBER+ EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE — Has Israel decided on a new war? Late Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said plans to attack the Iran-backed Hezbollah group had been approved and that the army had taken steps to “accelerate operational readiness on the ground.” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote in a post on X: “We are close to deciding to change the rules against Hezbollah and Lebanon. In a full-scale war, Hezbollah will be destroyed and Lebanon will be hit hard.”

The decision would open a second major front 160 kilometers north of Gaza, where a steady exchange of rockets and airstrikes between Israel and Hezbollah has been increasing in intensity since October. In Israel, the attacks have displaced some 90,000 people from their homes, sparked major forest fires and paralyzed the economy in northern Israel.