On July 30, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the Israeli army will not withdraw from the five points in southern Lebanon. The villages destroyed by the Israeli army in southern Lebanon will not be rebuilt.
A Time of Israel article states: “The Israel Defense Forces believe the gains made against Hezbollah since the November ceasefire could potentially lead to the Lebanese terror group’s complete disarmament, military officials said Tuesday.”
The assessment comes as the IDF, since the ceasefire agreement came into effect, maintains a presence at five strategic points in Lebanon and conducts near-daily airstrikes against Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure, which they claim violate the terms of the truce. The assessment also comes at a time when calls for the terrorist group to surrender its weapons are mounting in Lebanon.
Since the ceasefire began, the IDF claims to have carried out over 500 airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, killing at least 230 operatives — the last one on Monday, July 28 — and destroying over 90 rocket launchers and thousands of rockets, 20 command centers, 40 weapons depots, and five weapons production sites, as well as other infrastructure.
On July 30, a presidential consultation took place on an executive order to ban and confiscate all non-state weapons. On Army Day, Lebanese President Aoun issued a lengthy statement that included direct attacks on Hezbollah and its community, calling on them to disarm before waging further war and to avoid suicide by remaining an armed faction.
The United States has failed to implement the ceasefire it sponsored. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says the Americans have presented Lebanon with a draft proposal and that the Lebanese side has submitted key amendments, which will be presented starting today. These are Lebanon’s demands: “The immediate cessation of Israeli hostilities in the air, at sea, and on land, and an end to assassinations. The withdrawal of Israeli forces to the international border. The extension of Lebanese sovereignty over all its territory.” In exchange, Lebanon will provide: “the disarmament of all armed forces in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, and the transfer of weapons to the Lebanese Army; the transfer of $1 billion annually to Lebanon for a period of 10 years from friendly countries to support the Lebanese Army and security forces and strengthen their capabilities; and the convening of an international donors’ conference for the reconstruction of Lebanon during the coming winter.”
As part of the ceasefire agreement, the United States chairs a committee composed of representatives from France, Israel, Lebanon, and the UNIFIL observer force, through which the parties can submit complaints of violations.
As of July 28, Israel had submitted approximately 1,280 complaints to the committee, including 670 that the Lebanese Armed Forces had been asked to enforce and 530 after the IDF carried out airstrikes against the alleged violations, the army stated.
Of the 670 complaints the LAF was asked to enforce, 456 were addressed. Another 80 were enforced by the IDF with airstrikes, and 18 violations were dismissed as “irrelevant.”
Hezbollah significantly increased its military alert level and ordered all its units to be on high alert for any sudden escalation or clash. According to a report by Al-Hadath TV, Hezbollah ordered its fighters to remain on high alert and be ready to mobilize forces immediately.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem stated in his July 30 speech that the Lebanese resistance will never allow Lebanon to become a vassal state of Israel, even if the entire world opposes it. “He also stated that Israel can never hold Lebanon hostage as long as we have some breathing space.”
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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