(Washington, D.C.) Sources familiar with the matter revealed that Hezbollah in Lebanon is rebuilding its weapons arsenal and regrouping its heavily damaged forces, violating the ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel and increasing the likelihood of renewed conflict.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday (October 30), citing sources familiar with Israeli and Arab intelligence, that Hezbollah is replenishing its stockpiles of rockets, anti-tank missiles, and artillery, with some weapons entering via seaports and smuggling routes through Syria.
Another source said that Hezbollah is also manufacturing some new weapons.
Israel, which had previously demanded that Hezbollah disarm, is unhappy with the latest intelligence indicating that Hezbollah has rearmed in just a few months.
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Ehud Barak, warned: "If Lebanon continues to take no action, Israel may launch a unilateral attack, and the consequences would be very serious."
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It has been revealed that Lebanese leaders are appealing to Israel for patience through intermediaries in Arab and American countries, and have expressed a willingness to strengthen intelligence sharing and coordination with Israel, despite the technical state of war between the two neighbors.
The Israeli-Lebanese ceasefire agreement took effect on November 27, 2024. According to the agreement, Israel should withdraw its troops from Lebanon within 60 days, the Lebanese government forces would take over southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah must withdraw north of the Litani River.
However, Slim, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins University Foreign Policy Institute, believes that "the Lebanese military has neither the interest nor the readiness for a military confrontation with Hezbollah." He points out that the Lebanese government is only concerned with Hezbollah's disarmament south of the Litani River, and is completely unaware of the situation north of the Litani River, with no concrete plans in place.
Hezbollah leader Qassem Soleimani said in an interview this month that coordination between the Lebanese military and Hezbollah is necessary, but any attempt to disarm Hezbollah must be resisted.
