Marzouk explained that the Israeli bombing of Lebanon comes as a reaction to Hezbollah’s rebuilding of its military arsenal, accusing the party of “outsmarting the agreement concluded with it last November,” especially regarding the file of arms delivery.
The Israeli spokesman confirmed that the reason for the bombing is Hezbollah’s “digging tunnels and stockpiling weapons.”
In a related context, “Al-Arabiya/Al-Hadath” reported on Sunday evening that Israel launched an airstrike on the Zafta road in southern Lebanon, while the Israeli army fired flares over the Shebaa Heights.
Residents of Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel also received a message from the official spokesperson’s office stating that “the Israeli army is attacking targets in Lebanon, and as a result, explosions may be heard in the Galilee area.”
The message continued: “At this stage, there is no impact on the civilian area and no special instructions, and if something actually happens, we will issue an additional statement.”
These developments come after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, renewed the threat to remove any threat to Israel’s security, in a clear reference to Hezbollah.
Netanyahu affirmed in statements on Sunday that “Hezbollah is trying to rearm and recover,” adding, “We will not allow Lebanon to become a new front against us, and we will act as needed,” according to Israeli media.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had warned earlier the same day that “Hezbollah is playing with fire,” accusing the Lebanese authorities of procrastination, and stressing the need for the Lebanese government to fulfill its obligations and disarm Hezbollah and remove it from the south.
In return, an Israeli official confirmed to “Al-Arabiya/Al-Hadath” that there are serious assessments in Tel Aviv stating that Hezbollah has begun to regain its capabilities, and has managed to smuggle hundreds of short-range missiles from Syria.
He added that Israel has conveyed a message to the Lebanese side that it may bomb the southern suburb of Beirut again if the party is not disarmed.
Israel has intensified its raids on various areas in southern and eastern Lebanon for weeks, announcing that it is targeting Hezbollah elements, and had repeatedly warned against the party rebuilding its military capabilities in the south.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated last Thursday that Hezbollah is “intensifying efforts to rebuild its capabilities and arm itself,” stressing that his country “will not stand idly by.”
In the same context, US envoy Tom Brack called on the Lebanese authorities to negotiate with the Israeli side and reach an agreement that ends the crisis radically, hinting at the possibility of reaching a peace agreement between the two parties.
For its part, the Lebanese Presidency clarified that it is ready to negotiate with Israel, but accused the Israeli side of refusing by continuing the almost daily raids.
