Israel leader Netanyahu says Gaza operations are winding down but warns of war with Lebanon

“We will have the possibility of transferring some of our forces north, and we will do that,” he told Israel’s Channel 14, a pro-Netanyahu TV channel. The interview was frequently interrupted by applause from the studio audience. “First and foremost, for defence,” he added, but also to allow tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to return home.

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ October 7 cross-border attack that triggered the Gaza war. Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire nearly every day since then, but the fighting has escalated in recent weeks, raising fears of a full-blown war.

Hezbollah is much stronger than Hamas. Opening a new front would raise the risk of a larger, region-wide war involving other Iranian proxies and perhaps Iran itself that could cause heavy damage and mass casualties on both sides of the border.

Netanyahu said he hoped a diplomatic solution to the crisis could be found but vowed to solve the problem “in a different way” if needed. “We can fight on several fronts and we are prepared to do that,” he said.

He said any deal would not just be “an agreement on paper”. He said it would require Hezbollah to be far from the border, an enforcement mechanism and the return of Israelis back to their homes. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated shortly after the fighting erupted and have not been able to go home.

Hezbollah has said it will continue battling Israel until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza. The group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, warned Israel last week against launching a war, saying Hezbollah has new weapons and intelligence capabilities that could help it target more critical positions deeper inside Israel.

Hezbollah already has unveiled new weapons during the low-level fighting, including hard-to-defend attack drones that strike with little warning.

But Israel says it too has shown Hezbollah only a small part of its full capabilities, and that Lebanon will be turned into a second Gaza if there is a war. Israel’s army last week said it had “approved and validated” a new plan for a Lebanon offensive.

How the Israel-Gaza war is portrayed in the media

Netanyahu spoke as his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, was in Washington for talks with American officials about the war and tensions with Lebanon. And next month, Netanyahu has been invited to address Congress for a speech that already is dividing Washington along partisan lines. Some Democrats, angry at Netanyahu’s public fighting with Biden, say they will not attend.

American officials also have been pressing Netanyahu to spell out a clear post-war plan for Gaza. The US has said it will not accept a long-term Israeli occupation of the territory.

Netanyahu spelled out a very different vision. He said the only way to guarantee Israel’s security is for Israel to maintain military control over the territory.

“There is no one else” capable of doing that, he said. But he said he is seeking a way to create a Palestinian “civilian administration” to manage day-to-day affairs in Gaza, hopefully with backing from moderate Arab countries. He ruled out any role for the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority, which was ousted from Gaza by Hamas in a violent 2007 takeover.

Netanyahu ruled out one option favoured by some of his ultranationalist governing partners – resettling Israelis in Gaza. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, ending a 38-year presence.

“The issue of settlement is not realistic,” he said. “I’m realistic.”