Military and strategic expert Fayez al-Duwairi said that the Israeli military escalation is taking place gradually, noting that the increase in the number of settlements whose residents are being displaced means that the next is more difficult.
He considered – during an analysis on Al Jazeera – that both parties are ready for an upcoming round despite the Israeli side's unease with this escalation, adding that the demand of many countries for their citizens to leave Lebanon and not come to it suggests that the escalation continues and that the circle of war may expand.
Regarding the sound of sirens in the Nahariya area inside Israel for the first time since the start of the war, Duwairi explained that this step proves the effectiveness of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" in Lebanon, which fired rockets at Nahariya, expressing his conviction that the Qassam Brigades are working in coordination with its shields, which are indicators of escalation.
However, al-Duwairi did not say whether the escalation reached the level of unification of arenas and fronts unless it continued and coincided with a deep ground intervention that could raise the level of clashes to open war.
He also pointed out that the work of Qassam fighters from behind enemy lines from a military perspective makes the presence of the elite Qassam forces inside Israel in a position of strength, and this may be one of the reasons for the delay in the step of the ground operation because it works to disrupt traffic as well as prevent forces from moving and paralyze the thought of military leaders in Israel.
As for the decision to evacuate the city of Ashkelon, which is close to the Gaza perimeter, al-Duwairi stressed that the continuation of the shelling on an almost daily basis has made life for the residents there unlikely, and therefore it has become necessary for leaders in Israel to take the decision to evacuate.