Nissim Vaturi, an Israeli legislator from Netanyahu’s Likud party, has said that “it’s a matter of days” before Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah develops into a full-on war.
Speaking to Israel’s Kan public broadcaster, Vaturi laid out his plan for the war, calling for preemptive aerial bombardment lasting for up to five days followed by a ground invasion.
The legislator, who is also a member of Israel’s Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, claimed that Netanyahu shared his views.
“Dahiyeh will look like Gaza, there is no other way,” he added, referring to the southern suburb of Beirut.
If Israel does attack Dahiyeh, it would not be the first time. The Israeli army levelled entire neighbourhoods there in 2006 during the last war with Hezbollah.
The suburb is home to hundreds of thousands of people, including many supporters of Hezbollah from southern Lebanon.
Vaturi’s comments come as Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told Al Jazeera that Israel has conveyed through mediators that it is not interested in reaching a ceasefire with Lebanon, even if a deal is made to end the war in Gaza.