Neutralizing Beirut: Lebanon Seeks Understanding with Israel after Saturday Escalation

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As Israel resumes its military strikes in Gaza and escalates its actions against Lebanon, Lebanese officials hope to reach an agreement.

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Lebanese officials have engaged in talks with Washington and Paris to contain the escalation at Lebanon’s southern border with Israel and prevent the capital, Beirut, from being targeted, a Lebanese official said Monday.

This comes after rockets were fired from Lebanon and Israel launched deadly airstrikes on the country’s south in response.

Hezbollah has denied involvement in the attack, and no group has claimed responsibility for the operation.

In the most severe escalation since the ceasefire agreement that ended a violent confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah on November 27, the Israeli army carried out strikes on what it said were Hezbollah targets in response to the firing of three rockets from the area toward northern Israel last Saturday. The airstrikes resulted in eight fatalities.

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A Lebanese official, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that “President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam held intensive discussions on Saturday with the guarantors of the (ceasefire) agreement—namely the United States, France, and the United Nations—to de-escalate tensions following Israeli threats to strike Beirut in response to the rocket fire.”

The source added that “the Prime Minister emphasized the need to maintain security and prevent any recurrence of rocket launches.”

Israel has warned Lebanon of severe retaliation for the rocket attacks. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated, “We cannot allow rockets to be fired from Lebanon at the towns of Galilee.”

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He added, “We have promised security to the towns of Galilee, and that is what will happen. Metula’s fate will be the same as Beirut’s.”

A Lebanese military source told AFP that “the rockets were launched from an area north of the Litani River, between the towns of Kfartebnit and Arnoun, in Nabatieh Governorate.”

The source added that the Lebanese army “arrested two Syrians who worked as guards on a farm overlooking the rocket launch site as witnesses. They stated that they saw several individuals get out of a car, set up the launch pads, fire the rockets, and then leave.”

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The ceasefire agreement, brokered by the United States, had ended hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. It stipulated the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and Hezbollah’s retreat north of the Litani River, about thirty kilometers from the border, in exchange for an increased deployment of the Lebanese army and UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) forces in the area.

However, following the extended deadline for the Israeli withdrawal on February 18, Israel has maintained its forces on five strategic heights, allowing it to oversee vast areas on both sides of the border.

Israel continues to carry out airstrikes in various parts of southern and eastern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah members and infrastructure while asserting that it will not allow the group to rebuild its military capabilities after the war.

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