Lebanon’s prime minister warned Saturday against dragging the country into a wider conflict after Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran, issuing an indirect message to the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he would not accept “anyone dragging the country into adventures that threaten its security and unity.”
In a statement released after the Israel-US assault on Iran, Salam referred to the “serious developments” in the region and called on “all Lebanese to act with wisdom and patriotism, placing Lebanon and the Lebanese people’s interests above any other consideration.”
According to the military, the launch sites and subterranean infrastructure were used by the Hezbollah terrorist organization to “advance terror plots against the IDF and the State of Israel.”
Qatari channel Al-Araby reported that more than 10 strikes were carried out in the al-Qatrani and Wadi Barghuz areas in southern Lebanon.
“In recent weeks, the Hezbollah terrorist organization has been operating in these infrastructures in an effort to rebuild the organization,” the IDF said. “This activity constitutes a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and poses a threat to the State of Israel.
“The IDF will not allow the Hezbollah terrorist organization to strengthen and rearm and will continue to act to remove any threat to the State of Israel,” the military added.
The IDF said forces from the 91st Division had also destroyed four structures in southern Lebanon over the past week that were used by Hezbollah, describing their use as a serious violation of the understandings between Israel and the Lebanese state.
Security officials have described the potential escalation as “multi-front,” with assessments indicating that the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen are likely to join the fighting through rocket fire and drone launches.
The situation with Hezbollah, however, remains uncertain. The Shiite terrorist organization has not yet decided whether to enter the confrontation, and current assessments suggest that, at least initially, it may prefer to remain outside the fighting despite the escalating Israel-US campaign against Iran.