https://arab.news/csrpj
- Media officer says group has not received Israeli proposal for ceasefire
- Israel ‘will never win the war’ by killing women, children, spokesperson says
BEIRUT: Hezbollah has not received any proposals on a truce for Lebanon, a spokesperson for the group said on Monday.
Mohammed Afif, a media relations officer, was speaking at a press conference amid the rubble in southern Beirut after 45 days of aerial bombardment.
“So far, nothing official or specific proposals have reached Lebanon or us regarding a settlement that we hear much talk about,” he said.
“We hear about a related, significant political movement between Tehran, Washington and Moscow, but I do not expect anything specific soon.”
Afif said Hezbollah’s relationship with the Lebanese army was “strong and solid and will remain so. We appreciate the army’s role in protecting the national territory and security.”
His comments came after Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem last week questioned the role of the military in confronting Israeli commandos’ violation of territorial waters and the kidnapping of a sea captain from Batroun.
It also comes after Israel leaked a draft settlement that includes a provision for the Lebanese army to dismantle Hezbollah’s remaining infrastructure south of the Litani River as part of the implementation of UN Resolution 1701.
The draft, which was leaked to the Israeli media, said Hezbollah “will withdraw its forces north of the Litani River and will not renew its military presence in the area between the Litani and the border with Israel.”
It continued: “The Israeli army will withdraw from the current first line of Hezbollah positions in Lebanon and return to the international border. The Lebanese army will dismantle Hezbollah’s remaining infrastructure in the area between the border and the Litani River within 60 days of signing the agreement, which will include international guarantees from the US and Russia to prevent Hezbollah from rearming in Lebanon.”
The draft said that Syria would be responsible for stopping any transfer of weapons from its territory to Lebanon.
“If Hezbollah violates the agreement by rearming or conducting military operations against Israel or Israelis, the Israeli army will have the right to respond while seeking international support for such actions,” it said.
During the press conference, Afif reiterated Hezbollah’s position that “the reality of the battlefield will have the final say in politics and decisions.”
He said the Israelis “will never win the war with aerial superiority, destruction or the killing of civilians, including women and children.”
“If you cannot advance on the ground and take actual control, you will never achieve your political goals and northern residents will never return to the north,” he said.
Responding to claims by Israeli officials that Hezbollah’s missile stockpile had dwindled to 20 percent of its original size, Afif said: “Last week, Hezbollah’s missiles reached the suburbs of Tel Aviv and Haifa. Centers and camps were shelled for the first time in the Golan and Haifa and the Fateh 110 missile was used, and we have more.
“The fighters on the front line have enough weapons, ammunition and supplies for a long war that we are preparing for at all levels.”
A security source told Arab News that aside from Hezbollah’s narrative regarding the course of the conflict, the Israeli army had “adopted a scorched earth strategy in the south to avoid the mistakes made during the 2006 war.”
“The army has altered its combat system, opting to advance with infantry forces instead of tanks, which have become targets for Hezbollah,” the person said.
“The tanks are now utilized as fire support in the second echelon. The Israeli forces are destroying everything in their line of sight before advancing, effectively neutralizing the traps set by Hezbollah operatives.”
The source said the Israeli army “relies on drones to reveal the front sector of infantry units and to identify targets for artillery or airstrikes, which has contributed to the success of its advance in many areas. This is happening in the absence of anti-drone missiles, as their use by Hezbollah would expose the launch sites, presenting the party with an unexpected new challenge.”
Using these tactics, Israel was able to penetrate most of the border villages despite resistance from the fighters, the source said.
“It also destroyed the tunnels adjacent to the border. Israel may be inclined to delay its operations and negotiations to cut off the supply routes to Hezbollah and shift the situation in its favor.”
A significant decrease in hostilities was reported on Monday as Lebanon issued a fresh complaint to the UN Security Council in response to Israel’s “repeated aggressions on UNIFIL forces and its further violation of the Blue Line by removing two barrels that signify the withdrawal line.”
The Foreign Ministry submitted the complaint through Lebanon’s permanent mission to the UN in New York.
Also on Monday, the Israeli army reiterated its warning to Lebanese people living in 21 towns along the border area to evacuate. It also blew up several houses on the outskirts of the border town of Aita Al-Shaab.
Israeli airstrikes resulted in the deaths of three individuals in the town of Sarifa. The attacks also affected an area close to Batoulieh near the Rashidiya Palestinian refugee camp in Tyre, as well as towns in Marjeyoun and Nabatieh districts.
Baalbek-Hermel Gov. Bashir Khadr said that a survey of the Baalbek archaeological site had been finalized and that there were no people or objects there that could justify Israel’s attack on the site.
He was speaking after the castle surrounding the site and an ancient building nearby were hit by several airstrikes over the past week.
The strikes resumed on Monday in Shmustar and Taraya, coinciding with the funerals of victims from the deadly and destructive attacks that took place in the region on Sunday.
The death toll reached 18, with the majority of victims women and the elderly.
Since the start of the Israeli onslaught in the Baalbek-Hermel region and extending into central Bekaa, 796 people have been killed and more than 1,350 injured. In that time there have been 1,157 airstrikes.
Hezbollah said it targeted two military gatherings on the outskirts of the Lebanese border town of Maroun Al-Ras, as well as Al-Abad in Israel, the occupied city of Safed and the settlements of Ma’a lot-Tarshiha and Avivim.
The Israeli side said 13 people were injured as a result of a missile barrage targeting Upper Galilee and Western Galilee.