In recent days, the intensification of Israel’s preparations to strike Hezbollah in Lebanese territory has seen the confirmation of US support for the IDF forces. Nothing different from what happened in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre, but Washington’s response was taken seriously by spreading the news that the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) aircraft carrier would be deployed in the southern Mediterranean area. currently moving from the Pacific. On June 22, the statement that appeared on while the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) left the Red Sea to return to the States, the Roosevelt will pass through Suez, will approach Lebanon but will then be replaced by the USS Harry S. Truman. It is true that the last time a Pacific aircraft carrier was deployed so close to the Middle East was in 2021, when the United States evacuated its troops from Afghanistan, but the Pentagon has stated that the rotation was not due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, and that Washington never leaves its support for its ally unprotected. The result of a post read by over two and a half million people triggered numerous reactions in the press that said an American attack was imminent, but instead there was nothing abnormal, or rather nothing that the command of the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet had not expected. As for reporting the position of every military ship that is sighted, it must be remembered that the Mediterranean is a useful route for shortening fleet redeployment times, as demonstrated for example by the movement of the USS Mason, one of the destroyers assigned to the Heisenhower fleet, which passed through the Strait of Gibraltar in mid-June and entered the port of Rota, in Spain, and then left a few days later before passing through Suez. A quick check on the websites of the US Navy also made it possible to establish that the Roosevelt aircraft carrier took part in a military exercise together with units from South Korea and Japan in the last days of June and only at the end of this mission will it head towards the Mediterranean.
That the situation between Israel and Hezbollah is incandescent is a fact, just as it is a fact that the IDF forces are not allowing the return to their homes of the approximately 24,000 residents who, in the aftermath of the attack on October 7, were evacuated from the city of Kiryat Shmona, located along the northern border with Lebanon, as well as about twenty small communities evacuated for fear that Hezbollah would emulate the attack of Hamas. The measure was decided for fear of a second attack, but even in this case just remembering the situation badly has led to the belief that the movement of citizens was made in the imminence of an invasion of Lebanon by Israel. The reality is that to date approximately 50,000 people remain evacuated who live in Israeli hotels or in other locations where they receive support from the government and who do not know if and when they will be able to return home. Israeli military sources are making a conflict with Hezbollah more likely than it has been since the Oct. 7 attacks, but they also acknowledge that such a campaign would be at least as difficult and bloody as the Gaza operation. Israel faces what Defense Minister Yoav Gallant last week called a “crossroads,” referring to Israel’s eight-month war in Gaza, which is becoming a less intense conflict, and the prospect of the war shifting to the northern border and Hezbollah — which, in turn, could lead to a regional conflict with Iran. “In the north, we are determined to ensure security,” Gallant said in Washington, “we are working closely to reach an agreement, but we also need to discuss preparedness for every possible scenario. The biggest threat to the future of the world is Iran. And time is running out.” But Hezbollah is a much stronger and more established force than Hamas and an attack on Lebanese soil would likely trigger a response from the national army and political condemnation from most foreign nations. However, it is undeniable that this “force” has carried out more than 5,000 rocket, missile and drone attacks against Israel since October 7 and that in recent weeks the attacks have increased significantly, to the point where it is now common for several to occur per day. And this also “blows” to encourage an Israeli response. In response, Israel carries out its own attacks targeting Hezbollah launch sites and what it calls terrorist infrastructure in areas of southern Lebanon. The exchange of attacks has caused large fires on both sides of the border, devastating the crops that villagers, regardless of their nationality, rely on. Metulla, Israel’s northernmost city, sits atop the Huleh Valley north of Kiryat Shmona, and is Hezbollah’s main target, and on the evening of June 23, anti-tank missiles fired by militants wounded two people, while on June 26, five more anti-tank missiles hit the city. The Israeli forces (IDF) are currently deployed in two regional divisions, the 91st on the Lebanese border and the 210th in the Golan Heights on the Syrian border. The IDF has also created a new Mountain Brigade to help defend Mount Dov and Mount Hermon, two elevations that form a sort of hinge on the Lebanese-Syrian border at the junction of the territories guarded by the other two divisions. They are supported by troops from the 36th Division, which is usually stationed in the north and is made up of troops familiar with the area such as the 188th Armored Brigade. And this deployment of forces also raises the possibility of an invasion.
