Israeli minister says army 'does not want' to go to war with Hezbollah

The Israeli army “does not want to go to war in the north” against Hezbollah, far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich decried on Wednesday.

Asked whether the Israeli army is preventing a war in Lebanon, Smotrich replied: “We need to ask the IDF (Israeli army) hard questions and challenge it, not leave a blank check for commanders who tell us they are ready for a campaign in two theaters and at the moment of truth they fold.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the northern Israeli settlement of Kiryat Shmona on Wednesday, emphasizing Israel's readiness to take “decisive” action against threats from Lebanon.

Exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah have intensified over the past week, with repeated Israeli strikes deeper into Lebanese territory.

The violence since early October has killed at least 455 people in Lebanon, mostly fighters but including 88 civilians, according to an AFP tally.

On the Israeli side, at least 14 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed, according to the army.

The violence has also displaced tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the border.