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Israel Determined to ‘Change Security Reality’ with Lebanon

An Israeli artillery battery stationed near the border with Lebanon (AP)
An Israeli artillery battery stationed near the border with Lebanon (AP)
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Israel Determined to ‘Change Security Reality’ with Lebanon

An Israeli artillery battery stationed near the border with Lebanon (AP)
An Israeli artillery battery stationed near the border with Lebanon (AP)

Amid continuous violations of the rules of engagement, Israeli drones on Friday, and for the second day in a row, targeted the vicinity of the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh.
Meanwhile, the commander of the northern region in the Israeli army, Ori Gordin, announced that Israel aims to change the security situation in the north, near the border with Lebanon, in a way that allows “the safe return of residents.”
Army spokesman Avichay Adraee, on his account on X platform, quoted Gordin as saying that Israel was determined to change the security reality, as it continues “to prepare to expand the scope of the war.”
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that on Friday, an Israeli drone launched a raid on a deserted house in the Al-Sokra neighborhood at the northern entrance to the town of Yahmar Al-Shaqif in Nabatieh, and fired two missiles in two batches that penetrated the roof of the house, causing significant damage.
Later on Friday, Lebanese media reported a second raid targeting a site between the towns of Arnoun and Yahmar in Nabatieh.
Yahmar, which is about 8 km away from the city of Nabatieh, was subjected, for the first time on Thursday, to an Israeli drone strike that hit a car in what Israeli media claimed was an assassination attempt of a Hezbollah military official.
Artillery shelling also hit the town of Kafr Kila, located in the Marjayoun District, while Israeli warplanes carried out a raid on the Hamul area in Naqoura, south of Tyre. The bombing targeted the outskirts of the town of Aitaroun in the Bint Jbeil District and the vicinity of Ali Al-Taher Hill.
Hezbollah, for its part, announced the targeting of spying equipment in Israel’s Dovev Barracks, as well as in the vicinity of the Al-Malikiyah site and the Ramta site.
The head of Hezbollah’s Sharia Committee, Sheikh Mohammad Yazbek, said that the “Islamic Resistance on our front in the south has recorded successive achievements in striking the Zionist enemy.”
Yazbek said during the Friday prayers: “The envoys will only hear one word; the beginning of the solution starts from Gaza, and threats will not work.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lebanon Weighs US Deadline, Seeks Guarantees for Disarmament

President Joseph Aoun meets with US envoy Tom Barrack (Presidency handout)
President Joseph Aoun meets with US envoy Tom Barrack (Presidency handout)
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Lebanon Weighs US Deadline, Seeks Guarantees for Disarmament

President Joseph Aoun meets with US envoy Tom Barrack (Presidency handout)
President Joseph Aoun meets with US envoy Tom Barrack (Presidency handout)

Lebanese officials have been racing to formulate a response to a letter delivered by US envoy Tom Barrack during his visit to Beirut last week, in which Washington pressed Lebanon to take concrete steps towards implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701, including the disarmament of Hezbollah.

According to information obtained by Asharq al-Awsat, the Lebanese presidential committee assigned to handle the matter held a meeting at the presidential palace on Tuesday to review the American letter.

The aim, sources said, was to reach a unified Lebanese position that upholds national interests and affirms the state’s exclusive right to bear arms.

A senior Lebanese official familiar with the committee’s work told the newspaper that President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam had all received a copy of the US reply through an American embassy official.

The urgency of the matter prompted an emergency meeting of the three-way presidential committee to coordinate a unified national response ahead of Barrack’s expected return to Beirut later this month.

“The US message was polite in tone but firm in substance,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“The Americans want Lebanon to set a clear timeline for the removal of all illegal weapons across the country. They expect the disarmament process to be completed by the end of the year, with the Lebanese army and security forces asserting full control over all national territory.”

While the US side appeared to acknowledge Lebanon’s complex internal dynamics and the need for national dialogue, the official said Washington viewed the six-month grace period already granted as sufficient.

“The Lebanese government is obligated to uphold the commitments made in the president’s oath of office and the ministerial statement that affirm the state’s monopoly over arms,” the source added.

“However, Lebanon will seek guarantees in return – including a full Israeli withdrawal from five occupied points in southern Lebanon, border demarcation with Israel, the release of Lebanese prisoners, a reconstruction plan for war-damaged areas, and an end to Israeli violations by land, air, and sea.”

The official also said Lebanon would demand an end to targeted assassinations of Hezbollah members, which Israel justifies as preemptive strikes.

Sending the US reply ahead of Barrack’s return, the official said, underscores Washington’s pressure on Lebanon to deliver a clear position on the future of Hezbollah’s weapons.

A Lebanese cabinet source told Asharq al-Awsat that the preemptive American move was intended to give Beirut time to study and respond to the proposal, allowing space for amendments or objections.

“The US message is focused on securing a decisive Lebanese stance on a timeline for disarming Hezbollah and Palestinian factions, as well as the removal of all illegal arms,” the source said.

“Washington also wants a concrete implementation mechanism to prevent any backtracking, as happened after Resolution 1701 was adopted in 2006 – when Hezbollah sidestepped its obligations and rebuilt its arsenal.”

The source acknowledged that any final decision will require dialogue with key domestic players, particularly Hezbollah, but stressed that the official stance must ultimately come from the president and the government.