Hezbollah

Rubio is Right, a Vetted and Trained Lebanese Army Could be the Answer

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made an important announcement when he said that Washington is developing a plan to pursue Hezbollah’s disarmament by building up trusted units within the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). “We’re working towards establishing… a system that actually works where vetted units within the Lebanese Armed Forces ...

Lebanon Army Says Israeli Strike in South Kills Two Including Soldier

Lebanon's army said Wednesday that one of its soldiers was among two people killed in an Israeli strike in the country's south, the latest deadly raid despite a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war. "A soldier and his brother were killed in an Israeli strike that targeted them in the town of Khirbet Selm in Bint Jbeil (district) while they were ...

IDF Unveils New Counter-Drone Measures in Classified Knesset Session

In a classified follow-up session held this week at the Knesset, representatives of the Israeli military presented a series of operational measures aimed at addressing the growing threat posed by unmanned aerial vehicles, particularly advanced drone systems that have challenged existing defenses. The details, first reported by Galei Tzahal, the ...

Israeli Army Issues New Evacuations, Destroys Hezbollah Tunnels

The Israeli Defense Forces issued new evacuation orders Tuesday on sixteen towns northwest of the Israeli forward defense zone, saying Hezbollah violations had necessitated “forceful” action. Later, following alerts to northern Israeli towns, the IDF destroyed two underground tunnels in Qantara, southern Lebanon, detonating over 450 ...

Why Hezbollah and Israel May Be Betting Against the Lebanon Truce

The Lebanon–Israel truce, extended by three weeks last Thursday, is already being put to the test. Escalating military exchanges in southern Lebanon are exposing both its fragility and the complicated political realities surrounding it. Both Israel and Hezbollah appear to see a potential breakdown of the truce as an opportunity to reshuffle the ...

Israeli Defense Minister Says Lebanese President is 'Gambling' Country's Future

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz met with UN special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, on Monday, telling her that "if the Lebanese government continues to shelter under the shadow of the Hezbollah terror organization, fire will burn the cedars of Lebanon."  Earlier in the day, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon ...

Israeli Army Strikes Bekaa Valley as Targets Expand

The Israeli military said it was “currently striking Hezbollah infrastructure in the Bekaa Valley” on Monday, marking the first time since the Israel–Lebanon ceasefire began that it has hit targets outside southern Lebanon.  Like the south, the Hermel and Baalbeck areas of the eastern Bekaa Valley are predominantly Shia areas and a ...

Lebanese President Aoun Accuses Hezbollah of National 'Betrayal'

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday accused Hezbollah of “betrayal” and openly challenged the group’s decision to take Lebanon to war, asking whether it had secured national consensus before doing so. “Did you have national consensus when you went to war?” Aoun questioned, in a direct message to Hezbollah, as ...

Hezbollah’s Naim Qassem Rejects Direct Talks, Vows to Maintain Armed Resistance

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Monday rejected direct negotiations with Israel, reaffirmed the group’s commitment to armed resistance, and sharply criticized the Lebanese government’s recent political course in a statement addressing the latest developments in the country. In a written statement, Qassem said Hezbollah ...

If Boycotting Israel Requires a Law, Is It Truly Popular?

Hezbollah and its global Intifada allies claim that the overwhelming majority of Lebanese, Arabs, and people of conscience view Israel as pure evil, a cancer to be eradicated. Yet if this hatred is truly so deep and universal, why does Lebanon still need to enforce its heavy-handed law boycotting Israel? The statute criminalizes any contact with ...