Israeli defense officials are preparing for a significant escalation in Lebanon due to Hezbollah’s continued military buildup, Kan News reported.

The US is currently applying major diplomatic pressure on the Lebanese government to avoid an escalation, but according to the report, senior Israeli officials are not optimistic.

“Escalation is inevitable given the facts on the ground,” the officials told Kan.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar held meetings on Tuesday with US special envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus, who flew to the region in efforts to salvage the “ceasefire.”

Military Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder also participated in some of the meetings, an indication of how seriously defense officials view the situation. Ortagus was shown recent intelligence showing that Hezbollah is rapidly rearming itself and violating the ceasefire terms. In addition, she was shown evidence that the Lebanese army is unable and unwilling to enforce Hezbollah’s violations.

A senior Israeli official told Channel 12 News, “Israel needs American legitimacy for any step that may be decided upon,” explaining the significance of the meetings.

The Israeli officials conveyed an unequivocal message at the meetings: if Hezbollah is not stopped, the IDF will be forced to respond.

During Sa’ar’s meeting with the envoy, he conveyed Israel’s assessment of the situation, saying, “Hezbollah is arming itself much more quickly than it is being disarmed. The responsibility lies with the Lebanese government.”

Sa’ar also noted the flow of funds from Iran to Hezbollah via Turkey, stressing that “it must be stopped.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)