More than 60 strikes: Israel ramps up military pressure in Lebanon’s Bekaa as US-Iran talks loom

Report by Lara El Hachem, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Far from its direct border with Lebanon, Israel has been striking the Bekaa region, arguing that it is acting to safeguard its security against long-range missiles it considers a primary threat.

Regarding Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for limiting the range of Iranian ballistic missiles to 300 kilometers as part of the conditions tied to U.S.-Iran negotiations.

As for Hezbollah, Israel appears to believe it is carrying out the task itself by targeting the Bekaa, which it views as a hub for Hezbollah training camps and missile storage facilities.

In the 21 airstrikes carried out Thursday evening in the Bekaa, according to military sources, Israel did not target residential buildings it claims house Hezbollah military facilities. 

Instead, it launched intense strikes on remote mountainous areas in the eastern and western mountain ranges of Lebanon, locations that had been targeted previously, with explosions reverberating across the valley.

This comes as part of an escalation Israel has focused primarily on the region since the end of the phase aimed at confining weapons south of the Litani River.

Since the beginning of the year, Israel has conducted more than 60 strikes on the Bekaa. The most severe blow it said it dealt Hezbollah was the targeting of three sites where eight Hezbollah members were present. Israel said they were part of the group’s missile unit, including the unit’s commander in the Bekaa.

By targeting the Bekaa, Israel appears to be seeking to dismantle, or at least weaken, Hezbollah’s long-range missile capabilities, which are believed to have been used during the recent war. In doing so, it would be undermining any potential capacity to back Iran in a confrontation. 

Hezbollah, however, views the strikes as an attempt to trigger broader regional escalation through Lebanon in order to derail any potential U.S.-Iran agreement.

By intensifying airstrikes on the Bekaa and exposing the area through its control of the peaks of Mount Hermon, Israel appears to have completed a plan to strike one of Hezbollah’s most significant sources of strength.