Army Spox Says Military Ready For Gaza Offensive; Macron Warns Hezbollah

Wires carrying comments from an Israeli military spox. Says that "We have long weeks of fighting ahead of us," and that the "Military is ready, awaiting political instruction." While Israel has not launched a ground offensive into Gaza more than two weeks after the Hamas attack, it has engaged in significant aerial bombardment of the area and is amassing troops on the borders, suggesting that an incursion is more likely than not at some point in the near future.

• Also says that "Egypt is playing a key role in negotiations for hostage release from Gaza."
• Spox: "We are learning from US experience in [the] region but war is on our borders."
• Separately, speaking to French President Emmanuel Macron in Jerusalem, President Isaac Herzog states that Israel is "Not looking for a confrontation in the north," but is "Focused instead on destroying Hamas." Says that “Lebanon will pay a terrible price if Hezbollah decides to go to all-out war against us,”
• Macron states France has warned Hezbollah against escalating the conflict into a wider regional war, which could spiral significantly and draw in other actors such as Iran, Syria, and the United States.