Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is ready for any outcome in its confrontation with Hezbollah, signalling that military operations in southern Lebanon could continue even as diplomatic contacts with Beirut gather pace. In a statement on Wednesday evening, Netanyahu said Israeli forces were still striking Hezbollah positions, with fighting centred on Bint Jbeil, a town he described as a major Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon.
Netanyahu said Israeli troops were close to overrunning Bint Jbeil, a location that has long carried symbolic and strategic weight in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. He presented the operation as part of a broader campaign to weaken the group’s military footprint along Israel’s northern frontier and deepen what he called a security zone inside southern Lebanon.
He also said he had instructed the Israel Defense Forces to widen that buffer eastward towards the slopes of Mount Hermon, saying the move would help protect Druze communities amid rising regional pressure. The remarks point to Israel’s attempt to combine battlefield pressure with geographic control in sensitive border areas as the wider conflict remains volatile.
At the diplomatic level, Netanyahu said Israel was engaged in negotiations with Lebanon, describing them as the first such contacts in more than 40 years. He said Israel’s two main objectives in those talks were the disarmament of Hezbollah and the pursuit of what he called a sustainable peace. Recent reporting has confirmed that Israeli and Lebanese officials have discussed possible ceasefire arrangements and wider security terms under international pressure, even as hostilities continue.
Netanyahu also linked the Lebanon front to the broader confrontation involving Iran and the United States. He said Israel and the US shared the same goals on Iran, including the removal of enriched nuclear material, the end of Iranian enrichment capability, and the reopening of maritime routes around the Strait of Hormuz. Those comments come as Washington remains in contact with Tehran and as regional tensions continue to affect shipping, diplomacy and military planning.
While Netanyahu stopped short of predicting how the crisis would unfold, his message was clear. Israel is preparing for renewed fighting, broader escalation, or a negotiated arrangement, depending on how events develop. For now, the twin track of intensified military action and guarded diplomacy suggests that Israel is seeking to shape the next phase of the conflict from a position of force.
