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3. Failure to Disarm Hezbollah Blocks Reconstruction Efforts

Israeli airstrikes targeting bulldozers and excavators in Msayleh, southern Lebanon, on Saturday were not an isolated incident. Similar attacks occurred earlier, on September 3, in the Ansariyeh region. Heavy machinery, including excavators and bulldozers, has been repeatedly struck in several towns and villages along—and even beyond—the border. On September 29, for instance, an excavator was hit in Sohmor, western Beqaa, far from the Lebanese-Israeli frontier, killing its operator.

It has become increasingly clear that Israel will not allow the reconstruction of any building previously used by Hezbollah for military purposes. Most of these structures are residential properties owned by Hezbollah members or their relatives. According to security sources, the main targets are villages and towns adjacent to the border, though some strikes have reached deeper into Lebanese territory, including the Beqaa Valley.

The same sources indicate that Israeli forces continue to monitor previously hit sites. Any movement toward—or within—the vicinity of these locations remains a potential target. There is no assurance that the attacks will cease unless the Lebanese state establishes exclusive control over all weapons and dismantles Hezbollah’s military and security infrastructure.

Informed sources revealed that Israel has repeatedly conveyed—both publicly and through diplomatic channels—that such strikes will continue. Reconstruction of any structure previously used by Hezbollah as military infrastructure is prohibited unless the state alone controls arms. Efforts by European countries and the United Nations to halt these attacks have so far proven unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, official Lebanese sources maintain that diplomacy is the only viable path to halt the strikes and launch reconstruction. Yet, progress on both fronts depends on the implementation of disarmament. These sources stress that Hezbollah must acknowledge this reality to spare the Lebanese population further casualties and destruction and to enable the flow of international funding necessary for rebuilding.