Hezbollah
The fact that Israel has stepped up its gray-zone strikes in Syria, targeting apparent immediate efforts to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon, “simply proves that the force buildup is ongoing,” said Maj. (res.) Tal Beeri, head of research at the Alma Center.
No casualties or damage were reported. According to a U.K.-based war monitor, the area hit is known to house Lebanon’s Hezbollah and other Iran-backed militias.
Reports name Ali Asaf, a Lebanese national who in the past has been identified as a Hezbollah operative, as a senior Quds Force commander operating on Syrian territory.
Speaking during the unveiling of a new factory belonging to the Rafael defense company near the border with Lebanon, the Israeli defense minister says Israel is “working all of the time to prevent war.”
“For a long time, the Saudis haven’t liked the current Lebanese government. They are refusing to help Lebanon because they feel Hezbollah controls the political system and influences everything,” said Orna Mizrahi at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies.
Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al Saud said in a TV interview that Hezbollah’s role in Lebanon needs “reform and comprehensive revision.”
The rare daytime strike targeted a weapons shipment headed to Lebanon, according to a U.K.-based Syria war monitor.
A database uncovered in a raid on the country’s Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence reportedly links Hezbollah to Venezuela’s Petroleum Minister.
The terrorist group will “act accordingly” if it thinks “Lebanese oil and gas is in danger in the disputed area,” says Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
It made a similar recommendation regarding Hezbollah in June.
Hassan Nasrallah claims to have 100,000 fighters, but vows they won’ t be drawn into a civil war.
“No one is above the law,” says Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, after a deadly gun battle erupts in the capital between Hezbollah supporters and unidentified assailants.
