TEL AVIV: Israel is considering a potential military escalation in Lebanon, citing reports that the Lebanese group Hezbollah is working to strengthen its capabilities, according to Israel’s state media reported on Friday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a brief security meeting on Thursday to review the situation in Lebanon, amid concerns that Hezbollah is attempting to rebuild both its offensive and defensive capacities, the report added.
The broadcaster, citing an official source, said that “Hezbollah has partially succeeded in rebuilding its military infrastructure”, describing this as a “direct violation of the existing security agreement with Lebanon”.
Other Israeli sources reported that Hezbollah has “smuggled hundreds of short-range rockets from Syria into Lebanon in recent months” and is working to rebuild its leadership structures.
Israel, however, has not provided any evidence or credible intelligence for its allegations. In the past, Israeli forces have made similar claims without providing evidence, using them to justify strikes in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria.
Lebanon slams Israeli strikes
Meanwhile, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has accused Israel of responding to its offer to negotiate by intensifying its air strikes, the latest of which killed a man riding a motorbike in southern Lebanon.
“Lebanon is ready for negotiations to end the Israeli occupation, but any negotiation… requires mutual willingness, which is not the case,” Aoun said on Friday.
These developments come amid rising tensions along the border, where the Israeli military has stepped up airstrikes on southern Lebanon, despite a declared ceasefire since late 2024, alongside near-daily attacks within Lebanese territory.
Since October 2023, when its operations in Lebanon began, the Israeli army has killed over 4,000 people and injured nearly 17,000, with the campaign escalating into a full-scale offensive by September 2024.
A ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel was reached in November 2024. Although the Israeli army was scheduled to withdraw from southern Lebanon in January, it has only partially done so, maintaining a presence at five border outposts.
