Why is Israel targeting the Lebanese forces?

Israeli forces have carried out repeated attacks Lebanese army positions and personnel in the south LebanonThis raises questions at a time when international calls for support and reinforcement of the Lebanese army have increased

The International Conference in Support of the Lebanese People and Sovereignty At the meeting held last Thursday in Paris, $800 million in humanitarian aid was pledged to Lebanon, in addition to another $200 million to Lebanese security forces.

The funds were offered as donor countries called for support to Lebanon, including the army, to expand troops on the southern border.

This would be necessary, they say UN Resolution 1701 must be implemented to maintain security and stability after a ceasefire is agreed.

However, Lebanese government sources have described the commitments as “disappointing” given the losses inflicted by Israel’s ferocious attack and the needs of the Lebanese army to enable the country to meet current challenges.

The amounts needed far exceed this amount, they said, highlighting that much larger funds have been provided in the past, such as at the 2007 Paris III donor conference, when $7.6 billion was pledged.

“The West always talks about supporting the military, but this does not translate into action – the military is deprived of everything that would enable it to fulfill its role – deprived of weapons, air defense and other essentials that enable it would propose to confront Israel. or any form of aggression,” Dr. Hisham Jaber, head of the Middle East Center for Studies and Public Relations The New Arabs Arabic-language sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Israel has not only targeted the Lebanese army, but has also carried out attacks on locations belonging to it UNIFIL (the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon).

These have escalated since Israel launched its full-scale offensive in September. Israel has also criticized the peacekeepers and repeatedly demanded that they move five kilometers north “to distance themselves from the danger as the conflict intensifies.”

However, many see this simply as yet another attempt to undermine UNIFIL’s mission, and as part of an agenda to end UNIFIL’s role on the borders – a motive that also underpins the strategy behind Israel’s attacks on the country. Lebanese army could explain.

Attacks on the Lebanese army

Israeli forces have repeatedly attacked Lebanese army positions since the “Lebanese Support Front” was opened by Hezbollah on October 8, 2023 in solidarity with Gaza, despite the army not being involved.

Last week, these attacks had killed 13 Lebanese army personnel, three of whom were killed on Thursday on the outskirts of the village of Yater near the southern town of Bint Jbeil as they evacuated injured people.

The dead included Major Mohammad Farhat, whose filmed confrontation with Israeli soldiers went viral last year after he stopped them from installing a barbed wire fence on the Blue Line in southern Lebanon.

Thursday’s attack on army personnel came just hours after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stressed in a phone call with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant “the need to take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the Lebanese Armed Forces and UN peacekeepers deployed to operate in the south.” Lebanon.”

Why is Israel targeting the Lebanese army?

Jaber said this highlights how American advice, statements and decisions are being ignored by Israel.

“The Lebanese army repositioned itself more than two weeks ago in response to Israeli threats against the army and UNIFIL forces. Nevertheless, both were targeted.”

Both army positions and civilians are being deliberately attacked, he said, despite Israel’s claims to the contrary. Jaber said Israel’s motive is “to kill and destroy, just as it is happening in Gaza, and that the country is trying to turn people against each other and create anger in the country towards Hezbollah.”

He viewed the targeting of Major Farhat as a deliberate act of retaliation, noting that the Lebanese army was also among Israel’s targets in the July 2006 war, despite the fact that the army was not involved in the war.

Jaber said none of this is surprising; rather, it falls within the two arenas of Israeli operations in Lebanon.

There are two theaters, he says, one for battle and one for murder. The battleground is in the south, where Israel has failed to achieve any victories or results.

Meanwhile, the theater of murder and destruction extends across Lebanon, costing Israel nothing because it uses free US-provided aircraft and has ample ammunition.

None of the Israeli officers, soldiers or aircraft are exposed to any danger as Lebanon has no air defenses.

He said that although the Lebanese army had received advance orders to respond to direct attacks on its positions, “how can it respond if a direct air strike occurs? It has no air defense (…), no anti-aircraft guns, no missiles, no defense system, and is essentially excluded from receiving any of this.”

He explained that even when Russia had offered military equipment as a “gift,” it was rejected by Lebanon. If that had not been the case, Lebanon would have faced U.S. military sanctions, he said.

He also pointed out that Hezbollah has been able to shift the theater of war, increasing the caliber of its targets and the type of missiles it fires, hitting targets deep inside Israel and inflicting losses.

This had angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who in turn retaliated with widespread destruction across Lebanon, “leaving nowhere safe.”

He regretted that “many opportunities” for a ceasefire had been missed, even though he believed Hezbollah would have accepted one in August in accordance with the implementation of Resolution 1701.

“However, we lost the opportunity, and now Netanyahu wants 1701 Plus – and this “Plus” is extremely dangerous.”

This is one edited translation from our Arabic edition.