Israel’s Strategic Response: Countering Lebanon’s Media Narrative

Israeli Prime Minister Reveals Staged War Plan Targeting Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran

In a candid address to Israeli ambassadors on December 7, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that Israel’s military operations in Gaza were merely the first phase of a broader regional strategy that had been planned well before October 7, 2023.

Speaking to diplomatic representatives, Netanyahu recalled his declaration made just one day after the Hamas attack known as Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, stating that Israel’s ultimate goal was nothing short of “reshaping the Middle East.” The prime minister detailed a sequential plan targeting Hamas first, followed by Hezbollah in Lebanon, and ultimately Iran.

“The question was whether to attack Lebanon or focus on Gaza. We did not want to sink into two quagmires. So we kept Lebanon under active deterrence, destroyed Hamas’s military capabilities, and then planned to turn north,” Netanyahu explained in the address.

These statements directly contradict the narrative that has gained traction in some Lebanese political circles claiming that Hezbollah provoked the conflict by supporting Hamas. According to Netanyahu’s own words, Lebanon was always on Israel’s military agenda as part of a predetermined sequence of operations.

Further evidence supporting this pre-planned strategy emerged on December 8, when Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth published a detailed report by military correspondent Yoav Zitun. The report revealed that Israel’s Southern Command had developed a comprehensive plan for a pre-emptive strike against Gaza as early as 2022 – a full year before the current conflict began.

This operation would have included assassinating top Hamas leaders, destroying weapons production facilities, and launching a brief ground offensive targeting rocket infrastructure. However, according to the report, Israeli military and political leadership shelved these plans, preferring to keep Gaza “quiet at any price” while they prioritized preparations for a larger confrontation with Hezbollah and Iran.

Additional testimony collected by a committee led by retired General Sami Turgeman revealed that Israel had operational plans to assassinate Hamas leaders Mohammed Deif and Yahya Sinwar in the two years preceding the current war. These operations were repeatedly postponed – not due to restraint, but to avoid triggering a major conflict before preparations for the northern campaign against Lebanon were complete.

Military analysts note that this strategic sequencing reflects Israel’s broader regional objectives rather than mere responses to security threats. The approach indicates a systematic plan to neutralize what Israel considers hostile forces across the Middle East, starting with the closest threats and moving outward.

Hezbollah’s military posture along Lebanon’s southern border appears to have complicated this timeline. The group’s accumulated military capabilities over the years created a deterrence that forced Israel to recalculate the timing, pace, and potential costs of its northern offensive.

The revelations raise significant questions about peace prospects in the region. Netanyahu’s statements suggest that, for the current Israeli leadership, diplomatic solutions are secondary to military objectives aimed at fundamentally altering the power dynamics across the Middle East.

Regional experts point out that such a strategy carries enormous risks of widening the conflict beyond Gaza. With Lebanon’s political landscape already fragile and Iran’s significant influence across the region, any expansion of hostilities could trigger broader instability across multiple countries.

International diplomats have expressed concern about Netanyahu’s candid revelations, particularly as mediators continue efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza. The prime minister’s statements suggest that even if fighting stops in Gaza, Israel may simply shift its military focus northward rather than pursue comprehensive regional de-escalation.

For Lebanese citizens caught in the crosshairs of these strategic calculations, Netanyahu’s admissions confirm their fears that regardless of Hezbollah’s actions, Lebanon was always destined to be the next theater in Israel’s sequential military campaign – a reality that complicates efforts to find diplomatic solutions to the current crisis.