(JNS) The Israel Defense Forces warned on Tuesday that the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon is rapidly rebuilding its military capabilities despite Jerusalem’s ongoing strikes since the ceasefire took hold over a year ago.
According to the Israeli military, as reported by Channel 12 News, Beirut is aware of the Iranian proxy’s attempts to strengthen and is allowing it to occur even though the government in September accepted an army plan to bring all weapons under state control.
Not only Jerusalem and Beirut, but also Washington understands the stakes involved in the Shi’ite Muslim terrorist group rehabilitating with Tehran’s financial assistance. The Trump administration has set Dec. 31, 2025, as the deadline for the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah, according to diplomatic sources with knowledge of the matter, Israel Hayom reported on Nov. 27.
However, the US-designated terrorist group has rejected attempts to disarm it.
In the absence of Beirut bringing Hezbollah’s weapons under state control and amid Iranian-led efforts to rebuild its terrorist proxy in violation of the Nov. 27, 2024, ceasefire, Israel has continuously struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, and has maintained IDF posts in five strategic locations along the Israel-Lebanon border. Israel is also adding to its security barrier along the UN-demarcated Blue Line international border.
“The IDF understands that the mechanism designed to enforce Hezbollah’s violations is not doing enough to counter the terrorist organization’s attempts to rebuild—and training, weapons transfers and economic reconstruction continue to prevail,” Channel 12 News reported.
Tensions have escalated in recent weeks following Israel’s targeted killing of Hezbollah “chief of staff” Haytham Ali Tabatabai in a strike in Beirut on Nov. 23. He was the terrorist group’s No. 2 leader after Secretary-General Naim Qassem.
On Nov. 27, the IDF said it struck and dismantled Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in several areas in Southern Lebanon. Several rocket-launching sites were targeted, as well as a storage facility that contained weapons and military posts that were used by Hezbollah terrorists to advance attacks against IDF troops, the army stated.
Hezbollah began attacking Israel a day after the Hamas-led massacre of Oct. 7, 2023, forcing tens of thousands of northern Israel residents to evacuate and causing deaths, injuries and widespread damage.
The truce went into effect late last year following an intense two-month campaign by the IDF that led to the severe weakening of Hezbollah’s leadership. The agreement was cemented by the Israeli and Lebanese governments and five mediating countries, including the United States.
The terms of the ceasefire stipulate that Southern Lebanon must be demilitarized, with nonstate actors such as the Hezbollah Shi’ite group disarmed.
Tehran is determined to rebuild its prized terror proxy despite Israeli and American efforts. The Islamic Republic has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars to Hezbollah through money exchanges and businesses in Dubai over the past year, The Wall Street Journal reported on Nov. 27.
Hezbollah’s strengthening could lead to a larger Israeli military operation to completely defang the terror group.
See: The ceasefire charade: Why Israel no longer plays the West’s losing game
US envoy Tom Barrack has reportedly warned Iraqi leaders that Jerusalem is preparing a major operation in Lebanon aimed at disarming Hezbollah, and that any intervention by pro-Iranian militias from Iraq could trigger American retaliation against them.
Barrack met Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Baghdad on Sunday for more than an hour, Israel Hayom reported on Tuesday, citing Saudi channel Al-Hadath. According to the reports, he delivered what sources described to Al-Hadath as a clear warning against Iraqi “factions” aiding Hezbollah financially or militarily. The envoy also urged al-Sudani to help stabilize neighboring Syria and avoid steps that could fuel a wider regional escalation.
New US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa last week provided further Trump administration support for Israeli actions against Hezbollah, saying that Jerusalem doesn’t need American permission to defend itself.
The Beirut-born Christian Lebanese-American businessman told Haaretz on Nov. 27 that Israel “does not require the permission of the United States” and “will take whatever measures it deems necessary to protect its citizens.”
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