Senior US government officials fear that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may expand the current conflict in Gaza to open war against Hezbollah in Lebanon to try to prolong its political life amid a wave of criticism received for the slowness of the security response to the Oct. 7 massacre of Palestinian militias.

Moreover, the persistent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which goes far beyond the artillery exchanges they have been waging on the border for months, may eventually exceed the capabilities of the Israeli army, According to an intelligence report collected Washington Postmedia outlet that also reflects the concerns of North American officials.

In the midst of this situation, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is arriving in Israel tomorrow, Monday, with the main goal: “prevent the expansion of this conflict”, the diplomat said in a video published this Sunday; an idea that his press secretary, Matt Miller, commented on at the start of the regional tour that the secretary undertook on Friday and which brought him to Jordan today.

“The fact that the conflict extends beyond the Gaza Strip is not beneficial to anyone. Not to Israel, not to the region, not to the whole world,” the spokesman said. “The problem is that this view is not unanimously shared within the Israeli government,” he added.

There are two theories within the Biden administration about the “fundamental changes” Netanyahu has promised to deal with Hezbollah: Some see it as a “bluff” to extract concessions from the Lebanese Shiite militia party, but others are convinced: the newspaper reports that ” What “If the Gaza war ends tomorrow, his political career will end with it.” hence the possible deliberate plan to widen the conflict.

In fact, thousands of people demonstrated on the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday to demand early elections in IsraelAccording to the newspaper, the president demanded that elections be held “immediately.” Times of Israel.

About 20,000 people gathered in the city. According to protest organizers collected by the same media. The main demonstration took place in Habimah Square, although smaller gatherings were also recorded in other places such as Haifa or the northern coastal city of Caesarea, where protesters protested outside Netanyahu’s home.

In response, Israeli government sources noted that Israeli Prime Minister ‘will continue to take necessary measures’ guarantee Israel’s security and future.”

In this sense, US officials emphasized that the spread of the conflict to Lebanon could have serious consequences for the Israeli army. The report by the Defense Intelligence Agency, in particular, notes that the Israeli Air Force is fully engaged in the offensive in the Gaza Strip.

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“The pilots are tired, and the planes need to be maintained and repaired.According to another source mail“And it will face more dangerous missions in Lebanon than in the Gaza Strip, where Hamas has few air defenses capable of shooting down attacking aircraft.”

Francisco Gil Villegas, professor and researcher at El Colegio de México, certified Aristegui Live that the conflict will continue to escalate. He noted that some Israelis accuse Netanyahu of using the war to “cover up his corrupt practices.” He believed that in a scenario where the current Israeli government was overthrown, “Negotiated alternatives may be proposed” to the conflict exploded on October 7 last year.

(according to information from Europe Press And Aristegui News)