On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the army had begun a "ground maneuver in Lebanon to eliminate threats and protect" residents of northern Israel, writes "Middle East Eye".
He pointed out that "hundreds of thousands of Shiite residents of southern Lebanon who have fled or are fleeing their homes will not be allowed to return south of the Litani area until the security of residents in the north is guaranteed".
However, Israeli media reported a contradiction between public statements about the nature of the operation and its actual intentions.
On Monday, military sources said that the Israeli ground operations were aimed at removing "Hezbollah" operatives from the border area, not at eliminating the missile threat from Lebanon.
Israeli military sources said that the new operation was aimed at destroying "Hezbollah" infrastructure south of the Litani River.
According to Israel's Channel 13, the Israeli army has set up 20 outposts in Lebanon, resembling the "security zone" policy that guided Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon between 1982 and 2000.
Amos Harel, a military commentator for Haaretz, noted that "Hezbollah's presence south of the Litani is limited in scope" and that the group's remaining operational forces there could quickly move north before the Israeli army could reach them.
Harel questioned the effectiveness of the new military operation, noting that most of the missiles and drones targeting Israel from Lebanon were launched north of the Litani.
As the war with Iran led to the worst energy crisis in modern history, Israel's gas platforms in the Mediterranean Sea have remained closed since its inception.
"Mediterranean gas platforms have been shut down for the third time since the outbreak of the war on October 7, forcing the energy sector to once again rely on more expensive and polluting fuels such as coal and diesel," the economic daily Calcalist reported.
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen extended the shutdown of gas platforms until March 26 due to concerns that they could be attacked.
However, the cost of shutting them down raises questions about government policy. Israel’s energy sector relies heavily on gas, which accounts for about 70% of the country’s energy production.
An Israeli financial expert told Calcalist that the shutdown of Israel’s two gas platforms has already cost the Israeli economy 600 million shekels ($193 million). “The total economic damage is even greater, driven by the increased costs of electricity generation due to the greater reliance on coal and diesel,” the expert estimated.
The report added that private companies operating the platforms are losing millions of dollars every day. "Revenue has virtually disappeared, and the Israeli government is completely absent from the situation," said an energy company official.
Israel recently denied claims that it was running low on interceptor missiles after the Israeli news website Ynet reported that more than 1,300 missiles had been fired since the start of the latest war with Iran.
On Monday, The Marker, the Haaretz business daily, reported that despite Israel's denials, its production of interceptor missiles was limited.
The report said Israel also has an obligation to sell interceptor missiles to Germany, as the two countries recently signed a contract guaranteeing such supplies.
The Israeli arms industry "produces interceptor missiles around the clock, but both their number and the rate of production are limited," the report noted.
Even if The production line is extremely fast and efficient, and it will take Israel "time to make up for the shortfall", it added. The Israeli military has intercepted over a thousand rockets since October 2023.
"Over the weekend, there were already reports in Israel of rockets being fired and falling in open areas after a decision was made not to intercept them," the report added, likely indicating a shortfall.
In addition, the Israeli Home Front Command changed its warning system this week, specifying that it would seek to activate sirens and warnings more precisely.