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Israeli Airstrikes in South Lebanon Signal Shift with Use of Bunker-Busting Bombs

Thick smoke rises over Nabatieh as a result of intense Israeli airstrikes targeting the area (EPA). 
Thick smoke rises over Nabatieh as a result of intense Israeli airstrikes targeting the area (EPA). 
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Israeli Airstrikes in South Lebanon Signal Shift with Use of Bunker-Busting Bombs

Thick smoke rises over Nabatieh as a result of intense Israeli airstrikes targeting the area (EPA). 
Thick smoke rises over Nabatieh as a result of intense Israeli airstrikes targeting the area (EPA). 

In a sharp escalation of military activity, Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon in recent days have carried significant military and political signals—most notably the unprecedented use of bunker-busting bombs in the area.

According to defense analysts, the deployment of such high-impact munitions marks a turning point in Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah, targeting suspected underground infrastructure in the mountainous regions near the city of Nabatieh. These types of bombs had previously only been used in high-profile assassinations of Hezbollah figures, including former secretaries-general Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddin.

The Israeli military claimed the strikes destroyed Hezbollah tunnels, though the announcement has sparked debate over the accuracy and intent of the operation. The area struck is densely populated, and while Hezbollah is known to construct tunnels in remote areas such as valleys and hills, some experts argue that mountainous terrain is ideal for such activities.

“Tunnels are often built into mountains due to the ease of excavation and movement, as well as the ability to conceal entrances and exits,” said Brig. Gen. Khalil Helou, a retired military strategist. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, he noted that the intensification of Israeli operations in the south is not only militarily significant but also sends a strategic message to Tehran and to US-Iran nuclear negotiators.

“This could be part of a broader preparation for a major military confrontation with Iran,” Helou said, referencing recent remarks by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who warned that Iran would face the same fate as its regional proxies—Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen.

The Israeli claims appear to align with Hezbollah’s own disclosures. In a video released in the summer of 2024 titled “Our Mountains Are Our Storehouses,” Hezbollah showcased vast tunnel systems in southern Lebanon capable of accommodating vehicles and fighters. One such network, dubbed “Imad 4,” was named after Hezbollah’s former military chief Imad Mughniyeh, who was assassinated by Israel in Damascus in 2008.

Brig. Gen. Hassan Jouni, a defense and security expert, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israel’s use of deep-penetrating munitions signals a new phase in its targeting strategy. “These are no longer symbolic strikes,” he said. “They reflect a belief that Hezbollah has built strategic underground infrastructure, weapons depots, and possibly command centers in these areas.”

Analysts say Israel is seeking to reshape the strategic landscape in Lebanon ahead of—or in defiance of—a possible nuclear deal between the US and Iran. Helou believes the strikes are intended to deliver a strong message that Israel will not be bound by any diplomatic agreement between Washington and Tehran.

He also said the military pressure is designed to raise public dissatisfaction within Hezbollah’s support base and increase pressure on Lebanese leaders to fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for Hezbollah’s disarmament and the extension of state authority north of the Litani River.

“Israel wants to keep the initiative and maintain the upper hand,” Helou said. “Its goal is to force Hezbollah into a defensive posture and dictate the terms of engagement.”

 

 

 

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Arab World

Syria's Kurds Register for Citizenship after Decades of Marginalization

"Unregistered" Kurds, who have been stateless since a controversial 1962 census, have been flocking to registration centers across Syria. Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP
"Unregistered" Kurds, who have been stateless since a controversial 1962 census, have been flocking to registration centers across Syria. Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP
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Syria's Kurds Register for Citizenship after Decades of Marginalization

"Unregistered" Kurds, who have been stateless since a controversial 1962 census, have been flocking to registration centers across Syria. Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP
"Unregistered" Kurds, who have been stateless since a controversial 1962 census, have been flocking to registration centers across Syria. Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP

In a packed hall in Qamishli's sports stadium in northeast Syria, Firas Ahmad is one of dozens of Kurds waiting to apply for citizenship after many in the minority were barred from doing so for decades.

Since last week, "unregistered" Kurds, who have been stateless since a controversial 1962 census, have been flocking to registration centers across Syria to apply for citizenship, based on the interior ministry's instructions.

"A person without citizenship is considered as good as dead," Ahmad, 49, told AFP.

"Imagine not being able to register my children or our homes in our names," he said, adding that "my grandfather never had citizenship, and we have been living without official documents ever since".

On the tables facing long queues of people, registration forms were scattered along with personal photos and old documents, while government employees were recording the data.

The new measure follows Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's January decree granting citizenship to Kurds residing in the country, including those who have been unregistered for decades.

It also enshrines the Kurds' cultural and language rights, and recognizes Kurdish as a national language.

The decree came during weeks of clashes between Kurdish fighters, who once controlled swathes of northeastern Syria, and government forces after which an agreement was reached to integrate the Kurdish administration into the central state.

The integration included government forces entering the previously Kurdish-controlled cities of Hasakeh and Qamishli in February, and the appointment in March of senior Kurdish military leader Sipan Hamo as assistant defense minister for the eastern region, among other steps.

- 'We suffered greatly' -

The lack of citizenship affected many aspects of daily life, from the inability to register births and property ownership to difficulties in studying, moving around, travelling and working, leaving many without full legal recognition of their existence.

"We suffered greatly," says Galya Kalash, a mother of five, speaking in Kurdish.

"My five children could not complete their education, and we could not travel at all. Even now, our house is not registered in our name."

Around 20 percent of Syria's Kurds were stripped of their Syrian nationality in a controversial 1962 census in the northeastern Hasakeh province.

Ali Mussa, a member of Hasakeh's Network of Statelessness Victims, told AFP that there are around 150,000 unregistered people in Syria today.

There are around two million Kurds in Syria, most of them in the northeast.

Mussa called on authorities to show "flexibility in implementing the decision and to provide facilities for residents outside Syria" who may not be able to travel due to their refugee status in Europe or fear of flight disruptions due to the Middle East war.

Authorities are expected to keep registration centers open for a month.

Abdallah al-Abdallah, a civil affairs official in the Syrian government, told AFP the period could be extended.

"The most important compensation for these people is gaining citizenship after being deprived of it for all these years," he said.

In the registration center, Mohammed Ayo, 56, said not having citizenship made him feel "helpless", including being unable to get a driver's license or book a hotel room in capital Damascus as it required prior security clearance.

"You study for many years, and in the end they say you have no certificate," he said, adding that, after finishing high school, he was unable to obtain an official document to study at university.

"We did not even have the right to run for office or vote."

Arab World

Trump Says Israel and Lebanon Leaders to Hold Talks Thursday

TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
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Trump Says Israel and Lebanon Leaders to Hold Talks Thursday

TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)

US President Donald Trump ‌said leaders of Lebanon and Israel will speak, saying he was "trying to get a little breathing room" between the countries, after more than six weeks of war between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. 

"It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow. Nice!," Trump wrote in a social media post published before midnight on Wednesday, Washington ‌time. 

It did ‌not say which Lebanese and Israeli ‌leaders ⁠would speak, or give ⁠any further details, Reuters reported. 

The Israeli Prime Minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the offices of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. 

The conflict spiraled out ⁠of the US-Israeli war with Iran, with ‌the Iran-backed Hezbollah opening ‌fire in support of Tehran on March 2, prompting ‌an Israeli offensive in Lebanon just 15 months after ‌the last conflict.  

Washington on Wednesday expressed optimism about reaching a deal to end the war with Iran.  

Israel's security cabinet convened late on Wednesday to discuss a possible Lebanon ‌ceasefire, a senior Israeli official said. Another senior Israeli official and a senior ⁠Lebanese official said ⁠Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government was under heavy pressure from Washington to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon. 

Netanyahu, in a video statement released late on Wednesday, said the Israeli military continued to strike at Hezbollah and was about to "overcome" the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil. 

The senior Lebanese official said that Lebanon’s assessment was that Israel wanted to secure a victory in Bint Jbeil before diplomatic progress could be made. 

Arab World

Damascus Foils Smuggling of 6,000 Detonators to Lebanon

Tunnel found in Homs countryside linking Qusayr to Lebanon (Syrian media)
Tunnel found in Homs countryside linking Qusayr to Lebanon (Syrian media)
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Damascus Foils Smuggling of 6,000 Detonators to Lebanon

Tunnel found in Homs countryside linking Qusayr to Lebanon (Syrian media)
Tunnel found in Homs countryside linking Qusayr to Lebanon (Syrian media)

Syrian authorities said they had thwarted an attempt to smuggle a large shipment of military-grade detonators from the Nabk area in the Qalamoun region of rural Damascus into Lebanon.

They also uncovered a cross-border tunnel and seized weapons depots prepared for smuggling, state media reported on Wednesday.

The Internal Security Directorate in Nabk said it dismantled a plan to move a large quantity of explosive detonators used in making improvised explosive devices, adding the shipment was bound for Lebanon.

In a statement, it said the operation was carried out with “high professionalism” after precise technical and field surveillance, preventing the materials from reaching their destination.

Authorities said about 6,000 detonators were seized, without identifying the smugglers or the intended recipients in Lebanon.

The announcement came as internal security forces in Homs reported discovering a tunnel linking Syrian and Lebanese territory in the border town of Housh al-Sayyed Ali, in the Qusayr area of southern Homs province.

Weapons and ammunition depots prepared for smuggling were also seized, according to the Syrian Al-Ikhbariya channel, which gave no details on who dug the tunnel.

Earlier this month, Syria’s defense ministry said it had uncovered a network of tunnels in the Qusayr area used to smuggle drugs and weapons, adding that Hezbollah had used them.

Qusayr has been one of Hezbollah’s main areas of influence in Syria since 2013, until the fall of its ally Bashar al-Assad. The area served as a key supply route from Albu Kamal on the Iraqi border in Deir al-Zor, through Palmyra and Homs, to the Lebanese border.

Media reports say tunnels are widespread along the Qusayr border, alongside informal crossings used by residents to move between the two countries. For many, smuggling has become a source of income amid worsening economic conditions, poverty, and security instability, complicating efforts to secure the border.

The developments come amid fears Syria could be drawn into a wider conflict through Lebanon and efforts to disarm Hezbollah, with backing from the United States and Israel.

On April 11, Syria’s interior ministry said its counterterrorism department, working with internal security in rural Damascus, arrested five people in a cell linked to Hezbollah after tracking suspicious activity in the capital.

Authorities said a woman in the cell was caught attempting to carry out an attack by planting an explosive device near the home of a religious figure in Bab Touma, close to the Mariamite Cathedral. Media reports identified the target as Rabbi Michael Houri.

Earlier this month, the defense ministry allowed a photographer from Agence France-Presse to document the army’s deployment along the border for the first time since reinforcements were sent about a month earlier, including several cross-border tunnels that had recently been uncovered.

Mohammad Hammoud, a Syrian-Lebanese border official, told AFP the army had discovered “a network of tunnels linking the two countries” used to smuggle weapons and drugs. A Syrian army field commander also said Hezbollah had used the tunnels.

Hezbollah fought alongside Assad’s forces in the conflict that began in 2011 as a peaceful uprising before escalating into war.

An AFP photographer saw at least five tunnels crossing the border, including one that started in a house basement and led via concrete steps into narrow, dark passageways used for transit.

On March 28, Syrian authorities said they found a tunnel near a village west of Homs linking Syria to Lebanon, adding that “Lebanese militias” had used it for smuggling before it was closed.

In February, the interior ministry said it dismantled a cell behind attacks in the Mezzeh district of Damascus, adding the weapons used had come from Hezbollah, which denied involvement.