Report: Israeli Threats Against Lebanon Seen as Intimidation Tactic

The recent surge in Israeli threats of a military operation in Lebanon is largely intended for “intimidation,” according to diplomatic sources. These threats are also seen as an effort to disrupt the growing rapprochement between Iran and the U.S., which first became evident through an agreement reached in Iraq. The sources shared these insights with al-Joumhouria newspaper on Monday.

Iraq and the U.S. have agreed to gradually withdraw the U.S.-led anti-jihadist coalition, although a final agreement has yet to be signed, according to Iraq’s defense minister on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that he had ordered the military and security forces to prepare for changes at the Lebanon border, where clashes with Hezbollah have been ongoing almost daily since October 8 of last year.

The ongoing conflict has displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border, with Israel repeatedly vowing to use either military or diplomatic measures to bring its citizens home.

The cross-border violence has claimed around 614 lives in Lebanon, most of whom were fighters, though 138 civilians are also among the dead, according to AFP. On the Israeli side, including the annexed Golan Heights, 24 soldiers and 26 civilians have been killed.

On August 25, Israel and Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire, briefly raising fears of a full-scale war. Israel stated that around 100 warplanes had carried out airstrikes aimed at hundreds of rocket launchers in southern Lebanon to prevent a Hezbollah attack. Hezbollah responded by launching rockets and drones at Israeli military and security targets, including a key intelligence base near Tel Aviv.

Hezbollah’s actions were described as retaliation for the assassination of one of its senior commanders, Fouad Shukur, in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs in July.