November 1, 2026
Israel is preparing for a scenario of a wide regional war that may break out if the United States and Israel launch a military attack on Iran, amid Israeli security estimates that Tehran will seek to open multiple fronts at the same time, most notably Lebanon, Yemen, and the Gaza Strip. In an extremely dangerous development, Israeli preparations reveal plans to occupy the cities of Tire, Sidon, and Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, and launch heavy fire strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut, leading to the possibility of imposing a naval blockade on the ports of Beirut and Tripoli.
According to a report by journalist Avi Ashkenazi in the Israeli newspaper Maariv, Iran is convinced that it has succeeded in establishing a mutual deterrence equation with the United States and Israel, and it does not yet show any signs of flexibility in its positions or movements towards Washington, Western countries, and the Arab Gulf states.
The report indicates that the midterm elections for the US Congress, scheduled for next Tuesday, constitute a turning point in determining the course of the confrontation. The electoral battle is focused on the Senate, in light of an estimate reported by the newspaper that the House of Representatives has become decided in favor of the Democrats.
The elections are expected to begin at noon on Tuesday, Israel time, with preliminary results appearing on Wednesday morning. According to the estimates contained in the report, a US-Israeli attack on Iran is not expected to be carried out before the results emerge, unless a change occurs at the last moments.
In parallel, the US Army continues to mobilize its forces and enhance its military capabilities in the Middle East, where two aircraft carriers are stationed in the Gulf, while military cargo plane flights continue to airports in the Gulf states and Israel.
It is estimated that these shipments include defensive equipment, including Patriot interception systems, radar systems, and spare parts for American fighter aircraft deployed in the region.
At the Israeli level, the report confirms the existence of close coordination with the United States and other countries, based on the assessment that Iran will seek, if it is attacked, to unify the fronts of confrontation and ignite more than one arena at the same time.
In this context, Israel expects Tehran to push the Houthis in Yemen to intensify their attacks against Saudi Arabia, with the possibility of demanding that they launch missiles towards Israel.
But the Lebanese front occupies a key position in Israeli preparations, especially after what Lebanese media reported on Saturday about Hezbollah’s intention to move against Israel if it participated in attacking Iran and Iranian energy facilities and infrastructure were bombed.
Although the Israeli assessment considers that the military situation of “Hezbollah” is not good currently, the Israeli army deals very seriously with the possibility of its participation in the war, and is preparing to respond with exceptional firepower if the Lebanese front is opened.
The report reveals that the 7th Armored Brigade in the Israeli army ended this week about a year of continuous activity in Lebanon, and moved into a period of rest and rehabilitation that includes its members, tanks, and armored vehicles.
In the coming days, the brigade is scheduled to begin training in the Golan to raise its combat readiness, while keeping its operational attention directed towards Lebanon, in preparation for rapid action in the event of a new confrontation breaking out.
However, what is most dangerous in the report is the role that the Israeli Navy is preparing to play during a potential war.
According to Maariv, the Israeli army drew lessons from the previous two rounds of fighting, “The Rising Lion” and “The Lion’s Roar,” and reached the conclusion that the Israeli Air Force’s preoccupation with operations against Iran would make greater reliance on the Navy to carry out preliminary strikes deep into Lebanon.
In this context, the report states that the coastal cities of Tire and Sidon will be among the main targets of Israeli attacks, as part of a plan to occupy them along with the city of Nabatieh, if Hezbollah decides to challenge the Israeli army and enter into the confrontation.
The scenarios are not limited to southern Lebanon, as the report indicates that the Israeli Navy is preparing to focus heavy fire on the southern suburbs of Beirut, in addition to the possibility of imposing a naval blockade on the port of Beirut and the port of Tripoli in the north of the country.
Thus, the scenario that the newspaper talks about goes beyond the limits of the traditional confrontation on the southern front, to include extensive ground operations and naval strikes targeting multiple Lebanese regions, in the event that the war with Iran expands to Lebanon.
As for the third front that Israel fears to activate, it is the Gaza Strip, where, according to the report, two main military formations are currently deployed, namely the 162nd Division and the Gaza Division, and under their command 5 brigades operate within the Strip.
The report indicates that the Israeli army continues its intensive operations in Gaza, based on intelligence collected by the General Security Service “Shin Bet” and the Military Intelligence Division “Aman” regarding the movements of the “Hamas” and “Islamic Jihad” movements.
The report concludes that the level of security threats in the Middle East is likely to rise before and immediately after the US elections, at a time when Iran is trying to establish a deterrence equation that makes any US-Israeli attack on its territory costly at the level of the entire region.
