Israel said 2024 would be "challenging" as Israel "will certainly be engaged in Gaza throughout the year" and violence could flare up "on other fronts, particularly in the West Bank."
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said on January 7 that the conflict in the Gaza Strip, which has lasted for the past three months, could continue throughout 2024 and spread to other fronts.
Mr. Halevi made the remarks during a visit to the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967.
Halevi said that 2024 is “challenging” and that Israel “will definitely be engaged in Gaza throughout this year,” implying that the current full-scale conflict between Israel and Hamas may ease but not end.
Mr. Halevi also warned of the possibility of violence "on other fronts, especially in the West Bank," where tensions have increased since the conflict in the Gaza Strip erupted on October 7, 2023, following a surprise attack by Hamas on Israel.
Mr. Halevi noted that the IDF would increase “pressure” on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, where it has been fighting Hezbollah recently. “Hezbollah has decided to join this war,” he said.
On the same day, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari warned that the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon was “putting the future of the region at risk.” The spokesman affirmed that Israel will resolutely deal with security risks to the country.