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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Tel Aviv District Court, in September. Credit: Itai Ron<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Tel Aviv District Court, in September. Credit: Itai Ron<\/p>\n
The Tuesday hearing in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criminal trial will end earlier than planned following a security briefing to the judges, as Israel plans a major Lebanon operation, a source told Haaretz.<\/p>\n
“Following an update we received this morning, for political and security reasons, the discussion will end at 1:30 P.M.,” Judge Rivka Friedman Feldman said. The Wednesday hearing will also be shortened, starting at 9 A.M. and ending at 11 A.M.<\/p>\n
A senior official in Netanyahu’s Likud party told Haaretz that the hearing was shortened due to Israel’s plan to begin a “very aggressive, rolling operation” in Lebanon. According to the official, “everything is on the table,” including strikes in Beirut and “anywhere the IDF deems appropriate in Lebanon.” Israel’s new operations was “indeed” coordinated with Washington, the official added.<\/p>\n
The Prime Minister’s Office did not elaborate on planned strikes in Lebanon.<\/p>\n
On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified Israel’s strikes in Lebanon. “Israel always has a right to protect itself. Every country in the world does. And so if Hezbollah is going to launch missiles, it launches missiles at them, Israel has every right to respond to that or to prevent that from happening. That’s always been understood. It’s being understood during the cease-fire now in Lebanon, and it’ll be understood beyond that,” he said. <\/p>\n
Earlier Tuesday, a Hezbollah drone exploded inside Israel near the country’s border with Lebanon, the Israeli military said, adding that no one was injured.<\/p>\n
Israel’s military is preparing for a broad strike on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and is awaiting approval from the political leadership, Israeli officials said Monday, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would “increase the intensity” of its attacks.<\/p>\n
Late Monday, the IDF said it would be limiting the size of public gatherings in northern Israel from Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the IDF said that in coordination with the Home Front Command and after ongoing situational assessment, public gathering would be limited to 50 people in open areas and up to 200 people indoors, instead of 200 people in open areas and 600 people indoors.<\/p>\n