Israeli messages from inside Lebanon .. Cats from the south: Hezbollah no longer protects Iran

Russia today

In light of the continued tension on the Lebanese -Israeli border, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz visited a position of the Israeli army in southern Lebanon, one of the five points that Israel has controlled since the announcement of the ceasefire in the north last November.

At the location near the Margaliot settlement, Katz received a security briefing from the commander of the northern region, Major General Uri Jordin, where he reviewed field developments and military challenges in the region.

Katz said during the visit: “We see Margaliot flourish and the villages of Hezbollah are destroying … This is the price that Hezbollah paid for everything he did,” Katz said during the visit.

During his visit, Katz considered that Hezbollah no longer constitutes the strategic shield of Iran, adding: “Hezbollah is not a protector of Lebanon, but Iran has created it as a arm. The Iranians today realize that it is no longer able to defend them, as it lacks strength and ability. It is doubtful to recover,” as he put it.

Katz pointed out that Israel will not withdraw from the five points it controls inside Lebanon unless Hezbollah is disarmed and withdrawn from the border, stressing that this issue “is coordinated with the Americans.”

The Israeli Minister of Defense continued: “We will witness an increasing activity in Lebanon and Syria for Palestinian Islamic organizations, including Hamas. We are working to prevent Hezbollah and Palestinian organizations. The challenge will start and increase. ”

Katz pointed out that the presence of Israel in the five points does not depend on time but rather on the situation, and only if Hezbollah removes its weapon and withdrew from the border, it will be possible to talk about the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the five points in which it is inside Lebanon. Pointing out that it is coordinated with the Americans.

In conjunction with Katz’s visit, Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon celebrated the “Liberation Day”, the 23rd anniversary of the withdrawal of Israel from southern Lebanon on May 25, 2000. The participants raised Iran’s flags and Hezbollah in front of the Israeli forces stationed on the border in the village of Kafrkla, Thursday, May 25, 2023, in a scene that reflects the continued tension and alignments in the region.

Katz’s visit and his statements comes at a time when the region is witnessing an increasing escalation, amid reports that talk about an American -Israeli preparation for a possible attack on Iran. The threats of US President Donald Trump to Iran had raised the level of tension, as he pledged to bomb “that Iran has not seen before” if it did not agree to a new nuclear agreement.

Despite the end of the deadline for the withdrawal of the Israeli army from southern Lebanon under the ceasefire agreement on February 18, Tel Aviv kept its presence in five strategic points along the borders, justifying this by the need to “make sure that there is no immediate threat.”

Despite the international understandings, the Israeli forces continue their daily breaches of the ceasefire agreement, as they launched attacks on border towns, with intense flight of their exploratory planes over different regions of Lebanon. Recent weeks have witnessed Israeli raids on Beirut’s southern suburb, which resulted in deaths and injuries, in an indication of an increasing escalation between the two parties.