Hezbollah's Drone Incursion: A Signal of Resistance Amidst Gaza Truce Negotiations

A report by Bassam Abou Zeid, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine

Hezbollah deliberately has sent a drone back into Israeli airspace during a peak in Israeli military alertness. 

This coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's talks in Washington, and just hours before his speech to Congress. 

All this happened amid discussions of an imminent hostage exchange deal in Gaza. The message of the new drone operation is that Hezbollah will not be interested in a truce in Gaza unless Israel is also interested in a truce in southern Lebanon.

It asserts that, as Hezbollah was able to breach this important airbase's airspace for the first time in Israel's history and reveal its commander's identity, it will continue gathering intelligence to counter Israeli terrorism and is capable of reaching and striking any desired point.

At this time, Hezbollah reassures its tripartite alliance with Speaker of the House Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati that there will be no cessation of military operations on the Lebanese-Israeli border before they stop in Gaza. Discussions about the southern situation will follow once operations cease.

Reports indicate that Hezbollah has charted a roadmap for the phase concerning military operations, emphasizing that it will not seek to drag Israel into a full-scale war. The agreement focuses on halting Israeli violations and addressing breaches along the Blue Line, including the Shebaa Farms and Kfar Shuba Hills.

However, the ambiguity surrounding Hezbollah's military status south of the Litani River remains. Hezbollah has not provided any indications on this matter, except that it will not accept withdrawing its personnel behind the Litani or a few kilometers from the border, considering that its fighters are from these areas.

Regarding Hezbollah's military deployment, the presence of its heavy weapons, and the movement of the Lebanese army and international forces in the area per Resolution 1701, the issue has not yet been discussed, and Hezbollah has not given any commitments in this regard. 

Tying the negotiations to the state reflects, firstly, confidence in the negotiators, and secondly, Hezbollah's openness to discussions on the post-war situation. 

Hezbollah likely recognizes the difficulty of returning to the pre-October 8 status quo and that new arrangements will be made. The maritime border demarcation experience indicates that Lebanon, along with Hezbollah, is ready to pay a certain price in exchange for significant concessions from Israel that are crucial for Lebanon.