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Israel Renews its Readiness for War... Lebanon Says Doors are Not Shut

Smoke rises from the border village of Kafr Hamam in South Lebanon following the Israeli bombing (AFP)
Smoke rises from the border village of Kafr Hamam in South Lebanon following the Israeli bombing (AFP)
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Israel Renews its Readiness for War... Lebanon Says Doors are Not Shut

Smoke rises from the border village of Kafr Hamam in South Lebanon following the Israeli bombing (AFP)
Smoke rises from the border village of Kafr Hamam in South Lebanon following the Israeli bombing (AFP)

The Israeli army informed the political leadership that it has completed exercises for a major ground maneuver in Lebanon, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation announced, adding that preparations were underway for strong air operations.
Speaking from the Ramat Air base, Israeli Air Force Commander Tomer Bar, spoke of surprises, saying: “We are ready for war. The responsibility of the Air Force to implement all operational plans is full... There will be surprises," the Israeli commander said.
These threats came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s escalatory stances before the US Congress, and the announcement of the army’s end of training exercises simulating battles with Hezbollah on Lebanese territory.
The Israeli authorities have also issued a decision to suspend classes in the settlements and border towns with Lebanon for the next academic year, and informed students of the necessity of enrolling in other schools.
Parliamentary sources in the Development and Liberation bloc, headed by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, did not downplay the importance of these threats, but called for “not being overly optimistic and not giving in to pessimism.” The sources noted that this amount of threats “may indicate an escalation, but without reaching the extent of a great war.”
“The doors are not shut. There are constant communications and movement away from the spotlight. In addition, Lebanon does not need new resolutions, and International Resolution 1701 must be implemented, and pressure must be exerted on Israel to implement it,” they added.
The Israeli decision regarding the school year points to negative indicators and an expanding possibility of war, and raises the question about the fate of the next academic year in Lebanon, specifically in the border areas. A large number of Lebanese students had moved to safe areas within designated schools to complete their educational curricula.
Lebanon’s minister of education in the caretaker government, Abbas al-Halabi, will hold extensive meetings on Monday and Tuesday with the country’s educational authority to discuss preparations for the next academic year, the ministry’s sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Ministry of Education statistics showed that nearly 11,000 students forcibly left their schools, while 44 educational institutions permanently closed their doors in the border villages, including 12 secondary schools.
Meanwhile, confrontations continued at a varying pace between Israel and Hezbollah, which mourned a member and announced that air defense units had fired “anti-aircraft missiles at enemy warplanes inside Lebanese airspace in the southern region, forcing them to retreat.”
On Thursday, Hezbollah said it attacked and hit a building used by Israeli soldiers in the Manara settlement in response to an attack on Kafr Hamam village on Wednesday. The group said it also targeted military buildings in Shtula and Hanita, and “espionage equipment at the Birkat Risha site ... leading to its destruction.”
The party mourned Abdullah Mohammad Fakih from Rab Al-Talatheen in South Lebanon, after the Israeli bombing targeted the town. The National News Agency reported that one person was killed and two were wounded in the attack.

 

 

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UNRWA Says ‘Growing Concerns’ Annexation behind Israeli West Bank Operation

An Israeli military vehicle is seen during a military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, 04 March 2025. (EPA)
An Israeli military vehicle is seen during a military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, 04 March 2025. (EPA)
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UNRWA Says ‘Growing Concerns’ Annexation behind Israeli West Bank Operation

An Israeli military vehicle is seen during a military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, 04 March 2025. (EPA)
An Israeli military vehicle is seen during a military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, 04 March 2025. (EPA)

A major offensive in the occupied West Bank which over several weeks has displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians and ravaged refugee camps increasingly appears to be part of Israel's "vision of annexation", a UN official told AFP.

Israeli forces carry out regular raids targeting gunmen in the West Bank, occupied since 1967, but the ongoing operation since late January is already the longest in two decades, with dire effects on Palestinians.

"It's an unprecedented situation, both from a humanitarian and wider political perspective," said Roland Friedrich, director of West Bank affairs for UNRWA, the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees.

"We talk about 40,000 people that have been forcibly displaced from their homes" in the northern West Bank, mainly from three refugee camps where the operation had begun, said Friedrich.

"These camps are now largely empty," their residents unable to return and struggling to find shelter elsewhere, he said.

Inside the camps, the level of destruction to "electricity, sewage and water, but also private houses" was "very concerning", Friedrich added.

The Israeli operation, which the military says targets gunmen in the northern West Bank, was launched shortly after a truce took hold in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, a separate Palestinian territory.

The operation initially focused on Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps, where UNRWA operates, but has since expanded to more areas of the West Bank's north.

Friedrich warned that as the offensive drags on, there are increasing signs -- some backed by official Israeli statements -- that it could morph into permanent military presence in Palestinian cities.

"There are growing concerns that the reality being created on the ground aligns with the vision of annexation of the West Bank," he said.

- 'Political operation' -

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has said troops would remain for many months in the evacuated camps to "prevent the return of residents and the resurgence of terrorism".

And Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right politician who lives in one of dozens of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, has said that Israel would be "applying sovereignty" over parts of the territory in 2025.

According to Friedrich, "the statements we are hearing indicate that this is a political operation. It is clearly being said that people will not be allowed to return."

Last year the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion saying that Israel's prolonged presence in the West Bank was unlawful.

Away from home, the displaced Palestinian residents also grapple with a worsening financial burden.

"There is an increasing demand now, especially in Jenin, for public shelter, because people can't pay these amounts for rent anymore," said Friedrich.

"Everyone wants to go back to the camps."

The UN official provided examples he said pointed to plans for long-term Israeli presence inside Palestinian cities, which should be under the control of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

"In Tulkarem you have more and more reports about the army just walking around... asking shop owners to keep the shops open, going out and issuing traffic tickets to cars, so almost as if there is no Palestinian Authority," said Friedrich.

"It is very worrying, including for the future of the PA as such and the investments made by the international community into building Palestinian institutions."

The Ramallah-based PA was created in the 1990s as a temporary government that would pave the way to a future sovereign state.

- 'Radicalization' -

UNRWA is the main humanitarian agency for Palestinians, but a recent law bars the agency from working with the Israeli authorities, hindering its badly needed operations.

"It's much more complicated for us now because we can't speak directly to the military anymore," said Friedrich.

"But at the same time, we continue to do our work," he said, assessing needs and coordinating "the actual emergency response on the ground".

Israeli lawmakers had passed the legislation against UNRWA's work over accusations that it had provided cover for Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip -- claims the UN and many donor governments dispute.

The prolonged Israeli operation could have long-term consequences for residents, particularly children traumatized by the experience of displacement, Friedrich warned.

"If people can't go back to the camp and we can't reopen the schools... clearly, that will lead to more radicalization going forward."

He said the situation could compound a legitimacy crisis for the PA, often criticized by armed Palestinian factions for coordinating security matters with Israel.

Displaced Palestinians "feel that they are kicked out of their homes and that nobody is supporting them", said Friedrich.

A "stronger international response" was needed, he added, "both to provide humanitarian aid on the ground, and secondly, to ensure that the situation in the West Bank doesn't spin out of control".