Israel will begin its offensive on Lebanon in the second half of July unless Hezbollah holds its fire, the German Bild reported on Monday quoting diplomatic sources, According to the paper, Hezbollah does not intend to stop its attacks on Israel until the war in Gaza ends.
Hezbollah began attacking Israel immediately following the Hamas October 7 massacre and has launched rockets, missiles and drones at the Galilee prompting the evacuation of tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes. The IDF has attacked Hezbollah targets in South Lebanon and further inland but has not prevented further attacks from the Iran-backed terror group.
Germany's Lufthansa Airlines announced earlier in the day that it was suspending its night flights to Beirut until the end of July following concerns of a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah. Daytime flights would continue.
The German government also urged its citizens to leave Beirut as did other countries including the Netherlands, Canada, Kuwait and Macedonia. The American embassy in Beirut called on Americans to reconsider any planned visits to Lebanon and for those already in the country to avoid its borders with Syria and Israel.
U.S. officials last week told Politico that administration officials told Hezbollah that Washington may not be able to prevent an Israeli attack in South Lebanon. The U.S. also moved the amphibious assault ship U.S.S Wasp into the eastern Mediterranean to deter the Iran-backed terror group from escalating the violence and to assist in the evacuation of Americans from the area if the need arises.