Israeli Army Confronts Hezbollah Threats with Extensive Exercises

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gestures as he addresses his supporters in Beirut's southern suburbs November 13, 2013. REUTERS/Hasan Shaaban/File Photo
Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gestures as he addresses his supporters in Beirut's southern suburbs November 13, 2013. REUTERS/Hasan Shaaban/File Photo
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Israeli Army Confronts Hezbollah Threats with Extensive Exercises

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gestures as he addresses his supporters in Beirut's southern suburbs November 13, 2013. REUTERS/Hasan Shaaban/File Photo
Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gestures as he addresses his supporters in Beirut's southern suburbs November 13, 2013. REUTERS/Hasan Shaaban/File Photo

In the wake of statements by Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah about bombing all Israeli gas fields in the Mediterranean, the Israeli army revealed that it has been conducting extensive exercises to deter such attacks.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz said his army would respond painfully to any offensive, stressing that the Karish platform, which Hezbollah claims to be inside the Lebanese Exclusive Economic Zone, was located south of all border lines claimed by Lebanon in the indirect negotiations.

Therefore, Hezbollah’s threats are inappropriate, according to Gantz, who noted that his government does not see any reason that prevents it from producing gas from this field on the scheduled date in early September.

The Israeli defense minister’s remarks came during a talk show on Israeli Channel 13.

“Nonetheless, we want to reach an agreement with the government of Lebanon,” he said, accusing Nasrallah of obstructing the attempt to reach a solution and “harming the Lebanese and the energy sector.”

Gantz was asked if he believed that Hezbollah’s threats to Israel were serious.

He replied: “I think that Hezbollah knows that Israel is deterring it, and so does the government of Lebanon. But I always take into account the risk of deterioration, for example in the case of sending drones. We are alert and ready… Our response will be painful. I hope we don’t get into a war.”

He added: “We must defend our right to extract gas without harming the Lebanese.”

Meanwhile, a senior military source announced that the Israeli army was taking Hezbollah’s threats seriously, noting that for months, it has been conducting large-scale exercises to counter various types of attacks, including sending drones not only to Karish, but to all Israeli gas fields in the Mediterranean, at strategic locations inside Israel, and on commercial ships and ports.

According to the source, the army raised the level of alert and launched a series of drills to deter missile attacks.

Daniel Hagari, Israeli Navy Director of Operations, said that the army sees Hezbollah’s threats as strategic.

“Not only the gas fields are under threat; 99 percent of Israeli imports arrive by sea and 5,900 ships arrive at Israeli ports per year, about 53 percent of which reach Haifa port in the north, while 90 percent of wheat reaches Israel by sea. Therefore; the attack on any site needs a deterrent response,” he affirmed.



Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo

Thousands of Syrian refugees are set to return from Lebanon this week under the first, UN-backed plan providing financial incentives, after Syria's new rulers said all citizens were welcome home despite deep war damage and security concerns.

Returning Syrians will be provided with $100 each in Lebanon and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria, Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said. Transport is also covered and fees have been waived by border authorities, she said.

"I think it's a good and important start. We have discussed and are coordinating this with our Syrian counterparts and I think the numbers will increase in the coming weeks," Sayed told Reuters. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

More than 6 million Syrians fled as refugees after conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, with most heading to Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world, hosting about 1.5 million Syrians among a population of about 4 million Lebanese.

Some 11,000 have registered to return from Lebanon in the first week, and the government targets between 200,000 and 400,000 returns this year under the plan, Sayed said.

The Lebanese government is focused on informal tented settlements in the country, where some 200,000 refugees live, she added, and may provide Syrian breadwinners who stay in Lebanon with work permits for sectors such as agriculture and construction if their families return to Syria.

UN agencies previously viewed Syria as unsafe for large-scale returns due to uncertainty over security and persecution by the government of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December.

That has changed.

Since taking over, the new Syrian government has said all Syrians are welcome home. A UN survey from earlier this year showed nearly 30% of refugees living in Middle Eastern countries wanted to go back, up from 2% when Assad was in power.

"While the situation in Syria continues to rapidly evolve, (UN refugee agency) UNHCR considers the current context a positive opportunity for larger numbers of Syrian refugees to return home, or to begin considering return in a realistic and durable way," Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, told Reuters.

As of the end of June 2025, UNHCR estimated that over 628,000 Syrians had crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024, including 191,000 via Lebanon.