Military planners believe that degrading Hezbollah’s arsenal and command structure now will reduce the group’s ability to open a northern front should Iran seek to escalate.
By Hezy Laing
Israel has intensified its military operations in Lebanon in recent days, escalating a campaign aimed at crippling Hezbollah’s ability to support Iran in a potential regional conflict.
Senior defense officials say the IDF is preparing for a scenario in which Hezbollah, despite suffering significant losses in recent years, may attempt to rejoin a broader confrontation and strike Israeli territory.
This concern has driven a sharp increase in Israeli Air Force activity across southern Lebanon, where precision strikes have targeted rocket launchers, weapons depots, and key operatives belonging to Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Since the beginning of February, Israeli forces have eliminated 12 Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad operatives, according to IDF assessments, marking one of the most active periods since the November 2024 ceasefire.
Hezbollah has repeatedly violated the ceasefire terms by rebuilding military infrastructure, storing weapons in civilian areas, and preparing new launch sites along the border.
As a result, the IDF has continued to strike operatives engaged in activities deemed to threaten Israeli communities in the north.
Earlier this week, during overnight operations between Saturday and Sunday, Israeli aircraft struck multiple weapons depots and launchers in several locations across southern Lebanon.
Following the strikes, the defense establishment stated that Hezbollah “continues its attempts to rebuild terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon with the aim of harming the State of Israel,” emphasizing that the presence of these weapons violated longstanding understandings between the two sides.
The IDF added that such stockpiles endangered residents on both sides of the border and would not be tolerated.
Just days earlier, Israeli forces eliminated a Hezbollah operative in the A‑Tiri area who had been attempting to reconstruct military infrastructure in violation of the ceasefire framework.
Defense officials said the operative’s activities posed a direct threat to regional stability and were part of a broader pattern of Hezbollah efforts to restore its capabilities.
The renewed wave of strikes comes as Israel prepares for the possibility of a wider confrontation with Iran, whose regional network of proxy militias includes Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and other armed groups.
Military planners believe that degrading Hezbollah’s arsenal and command structure now will reduce the group’s ability to open a northern front should Iran seek to escalate.
As the IDF Spokesperson noted, Israel “will continue to act to remove any threat to the State of Israel,” signaling that the current campaign is likely to continue in the days ahead.
