The Israeli military said Hezbollah was trying to rebuild its military capabilities, months after the Lebanese army cleared the sites of the Iran-backed armed group.
The Israeli military on Thursday said it carried out heavy airstrikes on southern Lebanon, targetting Hezbollah militants. According to Israeli media, at least six locations in Lebanon were hit by the IDF after issuing evacuation orders.
‘HEZBOLLAH TRYING TO REARM’
The Israeli military said Hezbollah was trying to rebuild its military capabilities, months after the Lebanese army cleared the sites of the Iran-backed armed group.
Hezbollah sites targetted by Israel include the villages of Aita al-Jabal, Al-Tayyiba and Tayr Debba. Three more orders came later for other towns in the south.
The locations ranged from just 4 km away from the Israeli border to nearly 24 km north of the frontier.
The airstrikes began about an hour after the orders, sending thick plumes of smoke into the sky.
Fears have been mounting in Lebanon that Israel could resume a full-blown aerial bombing campaign, particularly after Israeli leaders warned they would take action against Hezbollah if Lebanon did not step up efforts to disarm the group.
The orders and strikes came despite a ceasefire deal agreed a year ago that was meant to end more than a year of fighting between Israel.
‘ISRAEL WILL DEFEND ITS BORDERS’
“Israel will continue to defend all of its borders, and we continue also to insist on the full enforcement of the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel,” Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian told reporters on Thursday.
Bedrosian said Israel will not allow Hezbollah to rearm or to recover the military strength that was shattered by Israel’s ground and air war in 2023-24.
Hezbollah said on Thursday it was committed to the ceasefire, but that it retained a “legitimate right” to resist Israel. It has not fired on Israel since the truce deal came into force last year.
The evacuation warnings coincided with a meeting of Lebanon’s cabinet to hear an update from army commander Rodolphe Haykal on progress in confiscating Hezbollah arms depots in south Lebanon.
HOW OCTOBER 7 HAMAS ATTACK CHANGED HEZBOLLAH
Hezbollah, which means ‘Party of God,’ is one of the several Iranian proxies in the region. At its peak, Hezbollah was considered the most heavily armed non-state actor in the world.
In October 2021, the then-Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had claimed that the group had 100,000 trained fighters. However, in recent years, Hezbollah has been reduced to a shell of its past self by Israel, with many of its key leaders, including Nasrallah and his potential successor Hashem Safieddine, being killed.
