Youssef Al Zein, Hezbollah's media official, announced on 1/5 that the group has deployed reinforcements and weapons to southern Lebanon. This move comes "amid ongoing combat with Israel," a conflict that reignited in early March. Al Zein affirmed Hezbollah's preparedness for a sustained war.
This development is particularly notable given the Lebanese army's statement in January that it had completed the disarmament of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, an area bordering Israel. The Lebanese army was reportedly implementing terms agreed upon in the 2024 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah.
Al Zein clarified that Hezbollah is not using routes controlled by the Lebanese army for its deployments. "We believe that the Lebanese army is the country's armed forces and will not participate in the confrontation with Hezbollah," he stated. He also claimed that Israel has advanced deeper into Lebanese territory because Hezbollah units south of the Litani River, approximately 30 km from the border, had been disarmed, and their infrastructure in the area destroyed.
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Hezbollah members parade with a drone carrier in southern Lebanon in 5/2023. Photo: AP |
The Hezbollah official asserted that the group "has been able to restructure its forces" since the most recent conflict with Israel. Addressing Hezbollah's recent use of fiber optic drones to target the Israeli military, Al Zein described it as a deliberate tactic. "We are aware of the enemy's superiority, and at the same time, we exploit their weaknesses," he explained.
The conflict in Lebanon flared up on 2/3, following Hezbollah's rocket launches into Israeli territory. These attacks were reportedly in retaliation for the assassination of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the broader Middle East conflict. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded with large-scale attacks across Lebanon and deployed troops into the southern part of the neighboring country. The conflict has resulted in over 2,600 fatalities in Lebanon.
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Location of Lebanon and Israel. Graphic: RANE |
The IDF currently controls territory extending approximately 5-10 km inside Lebanese territory. The stated objective is to protect northern Israel from Hezbollah attacks, and residents of southern Lebanon have been warned against entering this zone. Sporadic clashes between Hezbollah and the IDF persist, despite an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire that took effect on 16/4 and has since been extended for three more weeks.
Nguyen Tien (According to AFP, AP, Al Jazeera)
