Israel and Lebanon are prepping for a war neither wants, but many fear it's becoming inevitable

Source: Associated Press

Israel and Lebanon are prepping for a war neither wants, but many fear it’s becoming inevitable

BY ABBY SEWELL AND MELANIE LIDMAN
Updated 5:14 AM EST, February 1, 2024

BEIRUT (AP) — The prospect of a full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia terrifies people on both sides of the border, but some see it as an inevitable fallout from Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.

Such a war could be the most destructive either side has ever experienced.

Israel and Hezbollah each have lessons from their last war, in 2006, a monthlong conflict that ended in a draw. They’ve also had four months to prepare for another war, even as the United States tries to prevent a widening of the conflict.

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Israeli political and military leaders have warned Hezbollah that war is increasingly probable unless the militants withdraw from the border.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah hasn’t threatened to initiate war but warned of a fight “without limits” if Israel does. Hezbollah says it won’t agree to a ceasefire on the Israel-Lebanon border before there’s one in Gaza and has rebuffed a U.S. proposal to move its forces several kilometers (miles) back from the border, according to Lebanese officials.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-hezbollah-war-preparedness-civilians-military-aafd7a0048dceb810456b93ceecf543c