Israel signals readiness to escalate in Lebanon as Iran tensions rise: The details

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

In what Israel describes as a “mowing the grass” operation, the Israeli army’s air force and navy carried out strikes deep inside Lebanon, specifically in the Bekaa region, in what Israel considers a preemptive attack aimed at undermining Hezbollah’s ability to intervene in any war involving Iran.

According to more than one security official and intelligence reports, the attack was carried out after assessments indicated that Hezbollah would intervene in any forthcoming war and that its members were undergoing training by Iranian experts. The operation was described as part of a series of accelerated strikes Israel intends to conduct to destroy Hezbollah’s missile capabilities.

The strikes targeted villages in the Baalbek and Zahle districts in the Bekaa, in addition to the Ain al-Hilweh camp in southern Lebanon. The attacks resulted in the killing of leaders from Hezbollah and others from Hamas.

According to the details, the strike on Ain al-Hilweh camp was carried out by a naval vessel that launched surface-to-surface missiles from off the Lebanese coast. The target was Hamas leaders who, according to Israel, had recently been working to strengthen preparations for operations against the Israeli army in Lebanon and inside Israel.

The Bekaa strikes were carried out by six fighter jets and aimed at eliminating any attempt to use Hezbollah’s missile capabilities.

In both cases, the message, according to Israeli army spokesperson Effie Defrin, was that Tel Aviv would use very significant force if anyone in Lebanon attempted to exploit the crisis with Iran to challenge the Israeli army.

The strikes came hours before a meeting of the Israeli security cabinet, which was postponed from Thursday to Sunday following talks between officials in Tel Aviv and Washington that concluded the likelihood of reaching an agreement with Iran had become slim.

On Friday, the head of the Israeli army’s Manpower Directorate, Dado Bar Kalifa, said Israel is currently facing seven fronts, as well as what he described as Iran’s plan, together with its proxies, to eliminate the Jewish state.