Israel and the United States' patience "is beginning to run out" over the Lebanese Army's failure to disarm Hezbollah, Israeli officials told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
According to the officials, Hezbollah is actively rebuilding its capabilities, smuggling missiles across the Syrian border, and restoring positions and bases. Such actions, the officials warn, may lead to increased operational activity on Israel's northern border.
“Hezbollah is recovering day by day, and patience - both Israel’s and America’s - is beginning to run out, which may lead to an escalation in activity,” the officials said.
Netanyahu convenes security discussion on Hezbollah
On Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a security discussion on Thursday regarding Lebanon and Hezbollah’s growing military strength, exactly one year since the ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese terror organization went into effect.
A small group of ministers and senior defense officials participated in the meeting.
Earlier on Thursday, Israeli Air Force jets carried out several strikes against multiple launch sites, a weapons storage facility, and other Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Some 20 munitions were dropped on 10 different targets.
The IDF emphasized that the strike was part of an ongoing series of operations conducted over the past year to continue thwarting Hezbollah’s reconstruction efforts and to deepen Israel’s operational gains by denying the organization capabilities, infrastructure, and operatives.
According to data released by the IDF marking one year since the ceasefire, more than 370 terrorists have been killed over the past year, and roughly 1,200 targeted operations have been carried out as part of what the military defines as “enforcement of the ceasefire agreement.”
On Thursday, a few days after the assassination of Hezbollah’s chief of staff Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah issued a statement asserting that Lebanon and its people have the right to do whatever is necessary to stop the enemy and prevent harm to the sanctity of the nation and its sovereignty. “A full year has passed since the ceasefire agreement, and Lebanon has not witnessed any commitment by Israel to halt its attacks,” the statement read.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun also released a statement marking the anniversary of the agreement, saying: “Today marks one year since the declaration of the ceasefire agreement, to which Lebanon has fully adhered, while Israel continues to refuse to implement it. The Lebanese Army has completely fulfilled its duties in the area of its deployment south of the Litani River.”