NEtanyahu and Gallant will decide the scope and timing of Israeli retaliation against Lebanon over Saturday’s rocket attack on several locations in northern Israel, including the Druze city of Majdal Shams, which killed twelve civilians, most of them children between the ages of 10 and 16, and which the Israeli army attributes to the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.
Hezbollah has categorically denied any involvement and blamed the incident on an anti-aircraft missile intercepted by Israel.
Several ministers criticized the speed with which last week’s retaliatory strike against Yemen’s Houthis was decided and ordered, so at today’s meeting all ministers had plenty of time to speak, according to the Yedioth Aharonoth daily.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir abstained in the final vote.
The meeting also discussed the status of negotiations for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, although this is the topic of a future meeting, according to Yedioth Aharonoth sources.
The White House National Security Council announced that it is speaking with its Israeli and Lebanese counterparts and working on a diplomatic solution to “end all attacks once and for all” in the border area between Israel and Lebanon.
The Israeli military said it had struck a number of targets in Lebanon overnight, although their intensity was similar to that of months of cross-border fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Hezbollah said it also carried out attacks.
There have been no reports of victims so far.
Saturday’s attack came as Israel and Hamas are negotiating a ceasefire proposal to end the nearly 10-month war in Gaza.
Read Also: Netanyahu warns Hezbollah will ‘pay a heavy price for attack’
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Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2606232/netanyahu-e-ministro-da-defesa-decidirao-retaliacao-contra-hezbollah
