Attention is turning to southern Lebanon as the Israeli army prepares to begin an immediate withdrawal from the experimental areas, within the framework of completing the implementation of the understandings with Lebanon, amid an agreement that stipulates that the Israeli army will hand over information about Hezbollah infrastructure that it has not addressed, and that the Lebanese army will undertake the task of destroying it, in a step that puts the Lebanese military establishment before a sensitive field test.
According to a report by journalist Gilly Cohen on the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation “Kan,” the date of the withdrawal has not yet been set, but the Israeli army is no longer deploying soldiers in one of the experimental areas from which it is supposed to withdraw, in an indication that the implementation of this phase is approaching.
The report indicated that, within the framework of the mechanism agreed upon during the negotiations, the Israeli army will provide specific information about infrastructure that it had not previously addressed, while the Lebanese army will be responsible for their destruction. According to the sources, the number of these infrastructures is “very small.”
On the other hand, Israel expressed concern about the extent of the Lebanese Army’s readiness and readiness to confront Hezbollah with the launch of the experimental phase, considering that its success is linked to the Lebanese Army’s ability to carry out the tasks assigned to it.
In a related context, the Syrian authorities announced yesterday that they had thwarted an attempt to smuggle weapons and missiles across the border with Iraq, confirming that the shipment was intended to reach Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The Syrian authorities explained that the security services stopped a truck loaded with weapons near the Iraqi border, while the Syrian Ministry of Interior announced that the shipment included 150 suicide drones, long-range missiles, and anti-armor missiles, noting that investigations are still ongoing to arrest all those involved in the smuggling operation.
According to the General Authority for Land Ports and Customs in Syria, the truck was designated for transporting oil, and was on its way to the coastal city of Baniyas. However, it aroused the suspicions of customs officers at the border crossing between Syria and Iraq, which prompted them to search it and find large quantities of weapons inside it.
The coincidence of preparations for Israeli withdrawal with the announcement of the thwarting of an attempt to smuggle this quantity of weapons reflects the extent of the security complications that still surround the next stage in southern Lebanon, despite the current path to implement the understandings.
