‘Israel will attack Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed’

BEIRUT: The Israeli military struck several sites in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Thursday that it said housed underground facilities being used by the Iran-backed Hezbollah for the production of drones.

The devastating wave of airstrikes — on the eve of the Eid Al-Adha holiday — resulted in widespread destruction and hundreds of civilians being displaced.

The coordinated assault targeted eight buildings across four neighborhoods in the southern suburbs, completely demolishing targeted structures while damaging about 122 surrounding residential units.

Families were made homeless and forced to seek shelter on Beirut’s streets and the surrounding areas as their homes were made uninhabitable.

The Israeli military expanded its operations beyond the capital, issuing warnings to residents of Ain Qana in the Nabatieh district, located north of the Litani River.

Sites were struck following evacuation procedures, with Lebanon’s Health Ministry confirming injuries to three civilians on Friday.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz delivered a stark warning in the aftermath, directly linking regional stability to Israeli security concerns.

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun described Thursday’s strikes as a “flagrant violation of international agreements and fundamental principles of international law, UN resolutions, and humanitarian standards, occurring on the eve of sacred religious observances and providing conclusive evidence of the perpetrator’s rejection of regional stability, settlement, and just peace.”

Aoun interpreted the attacks as “a message from those committing these atrocities directed primarily at the US and its policies and initiatives, delivered through Beirut’s suffering and the blood of innocent civilians — submission Lebanon will never accept.”

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Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also condemned the strikes, describing them as a “systematic and deliberate assault on Lebanon’s security, stability and economy, and a flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty and UN Resolution 1701.”

Parliament speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah, echoed the condemnation, saying that the “Israeli aggression targets all Lebanese people, including Muslims, even on the eve of Eid Al-Adha.” He called the strikes “an affront to national and sovereign values.”

Katz said: “Calm in Beirut is directly connected to Israel’s security.” He threatened an intensified military campaign unless Israeli demands regarding Hezbollah’s arsenal were met.

He added: “There will be no tranquility in Beirut, no governance, and no stability in Lebanon without Israeli security.

“Lebanon must honor existing agreements, and failure to meet requirements will result in continued forceful military action.”

Katz specifically demanded Lebanese government action to “disarm Hezbollah and halt drone production threatening Israeli citizens.” He rejected any return to the conditions prior to Oct. 7, 2023, and vowed to “prevent such developments through all available means.”

Meanwhile, a video of Lebanese actor Nadine Al-Rassi has been circulating on social media in which she expresses frustration over the targeting of Lebanese territory on the eve of Eid Al-Adha and at the start of the summer season. What angered her most was the warning of Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee to “all” Lebanese people.

Adraee later responded to Al-Rassi’s video on X, clarifying that his warning “was not directed at the Lebanese people, as you believe. Let me be clear: We do differentiate and we do distinguish.”

He added: “We have never had a problem with the Lebanese state or its people. We have no interest in harming Lebanon’s tourism sector. However, when clear terrorist operations are launched against us, and Lebanese territory and actors are used to conspire against us, we are forced to respond.

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“The Lebanese people’s true problem lies with a terrorist group that has failed to learn from the past and has instead dragged them into unnecessary crises. Let us be rational and recognize that the people’s interest must come first, and that dignity is non-negotiable.”

The Lebanese army condemned the “aggressions, which came on the eve of Eid Al-Adha, (and were) a clear attempt by the enemy to hinder the revival and recovery of our homeland and its ability to benefit from the positive circumstances available.”

A source close to the Lebanese Presidency told Arab News: “President Joseph Aoun has intensified his contacts with the American side, which chairs the committee monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire. The committee is headed by an American military officer, along with a French military representative and representatives from Lebanon, Israel, and UNIFIL (UN Interim Force in Lebanon). He is awaiting how the issue will be addressed in light of the Lebanese army’s statement.”

The source added: “All pillars of the state stand united with the military institution. The question that arises is: Is it Israel that sets the agenda?

“The army has fulfilled its responsibilities under the ceasefire agreement regarding the confiscation of Hezbollah’s weapons south of the Litani River. However, the issue of disarming north of this line is a Lebanese matter, and the steps for its implementation are determined by the Lebanese authorities, which do not operate following the Israeli agenda.”

The Lebanese army had sent patrols to inspect two of the buildings targeted by the Israeli military on Thursday after the warning of an attack had been received, informing the authorities that nothing had been found associated with the manufacture of drones.

However, according to a Lebanese security source, “the Israeli army fired a warning missile above the targeted building, which led to the withdrawal of the Lebanese army from the site.”

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The strikes were the first of their kind in over a month and the fourth since the ceasefire agreement that ended the most recent fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

ths after a ceasefire agreement was sealed in a bid to end hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel.

“There will be no calm in Beirut, and no order or stability in Lebanon, without security for the State of Israel,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.

“Agreements must be honored and if you do not do what is required, we will continue to act, and with great force.”

Under the ceasefire brokered by the United States and France, Lebanon committed to disarming Hezbollah, which was once reputed to be more heavily armed than the state itself.

Hezbollah sparked months of deadly hostilities by launching cross-border attacks on northern Israel in what it described as an act of solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas following its October 7, 2023 attack.

The war left Hezbollah massively weakened, with a string of top commanders including its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah killed and weapons caches dotted around Lebanon incinerated.

Israel has carried out repeated strikes on south Lebanon since the truce, but strikes targeting Beirut’s southern suburbs have been rare.

“Following Hezbollah’s extensive use of UAVs as a central component of its terrorist attacks on the State of Israel, the terrorist organization is operating to increase production of UAVs for the next war,” the military said, calling the activities “a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”

Under the truce, Hezbollah fighters were to withdraw north of the Litani river, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure to its south.

Israel was to withdraw all its troops from Lebanon but it has kept some in five areas it deems “strategic.”

The Lebanese army has been deploying in the south and removing Hezbollah infrastructure, with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam saying Thursday that it had dismantled “more than 500 military positions and arms depots” in the area.

Following the strike on Thursday, Lebanon’s leaders accused Israel of a “flagrant” ceasefire violation by launching strikes ahead of the Eid Al-Adha holiday.

President Joseph Aoun voiced “firm condemnation of the Israeli aggression” and “flagrant violation of an international accord… on the eve of a sacred religious festival.”

The prime minister too issued a statement condemning the strikes as a violation of Lebanese sovereignty.

One resident of southern Beirut described grabbing her children and fleeing her home after receiving an ominous warning before the strikes.

“I got a phone call from a stranger who said he was from the Israeli army,” said the woman, Violette, who declined to give her last name.

Israel also issued an evacuation warning for the Lebanese village of Ain Qana, around 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the border.

The Israeli military then launched a strike on a building there that it alleged was a Hezbollah base, according to Lebanon’s official National News Agency.

‘Israel will attack Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed’