{"id":125420,"date":"2025-10-31T17:05:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T15:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=125420"},"modified":"2025-10-29T09:20:03","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T07:20:03","slug":"31-00-59","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=125420","title":{"rendered":"Hezbollah Rebuilds Military Capabilities in Southern Lebanon With Iranian Support Amid US Pressure, Israeli Strikes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/a>Hezbollah Rebuilds Military Capabilities in Southern Lebanon With Iranian Support Amid US Pressure, Israeli Strikes<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

Ailin Vilches Arguello<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Lebanese army members and residents inspect the damages in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, Lebanon, Feb. 18, 2025. Photo: REUTERS\/Karamallah Daher<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The terrorist group Hezbollah is rebuilding its military infrastructure in southern Lebanon with Iranian support while openly defying international calls to disarm \u2014 a move that has heightened fears of a renewed conflict with Israel and prompted intensified diplomatic efforts by the United States and Egypt to prevent further escalation.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Lebanon stands on the brink of a major new conflict, the government is intensifying efforts to meet the\u00a0ceasefire deadline to disarm the Iran-backed terrorist group<\/a>, while trying to avoid plunging the nation into a civil war.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Monday, Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem once again refused to lay down the Islamist group\u2019s weapons, rebuffing mounting US pressure and warnings of a possible Israeli military response.<\/span><\/p>\n

In an interview with the Lebanese outlet Al-Manar, Qassem insisted that\u00a0the group\u2019s military arsenal<\/a>\u00a0is a \u201clegitimate tool for resisting Israel\u2019s occupation and threats.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur weapons are a legitimate means of defending the homeland and our existence,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is no separation between our survival and that of the nation, and we reject becoming a target for the enemy\u2019s conditions or calculations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Iranian proxy group also warned that the risk of an escalated conflict \u201cexists,\u201d vowing to defend itself against \u201cIsraeli aggression until [its] last breath.\u201d However, Hezbollah also said it has \u201cno intention\u201d of starting a war.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Tuesday, the Alma Research and Education Center, which focuses on Israel\u2019s security challenges along its northern border, released a new study revealing that Hezbollah, with Iranian backing, has been\u00a0actively rebuilding its military capabilities<\/a>, in clear breach of the ceasefire agreement with Israel brokered last year.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the report, Hezbollah, with support and sponsorship from the Islamist regime in Tehran, is intensifying efforts to rehabilitate its military capabilities, including the production and repair of weapons, arms and cash smuggling, recruitment and training, and the use of civilian infrastructure as a base and cover for its operations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite\u00a0suffering heavy losses in its war with Israel<\/a>, the study also found that the group still maintains several tactical and underground tunnels \u2014 among its most valuable assets \u2014 particularly in areas where Israeli ground operations did not reach.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHezbollah retains operational strike capability in various formats \u2026 [but] it does not have broad invasion capability into the Galilee [northern Israel],\u201d the study said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tal Beeri, a Middle East expert and author of the report, explained that the Iran-backed terrorist group \u201cis not facing an actual dismantling of its weapons.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe State of Lebanon and the Lebanese Armed Forces are limited in their ability and willingness to enforce weapons disarmament, among other reasons due to demographic issues, internal cooperation, fear of confrontation, and accessibility constraints,\u201d Beeri said.<\/span><\/p>\n

With support from Iran, Hezbollah has prioritized survivability and a shift toward covert operations,\u00a0using civilian infrastructure and activities<\/a>\u00a0as both cover and a base for its military rehabilitation, the report explained.<\/span><\/p>\n

In recent weeks, Israel has conducted strikes targeting this network, particularly south of the Litani River, where Hezbollah operatives are historically most active against the Jewish state.<\/span><\/p>\n

For years, Israel has demanded that Hezbollah be barred from carrying out activities south of the Litani, located roughly 15 miles from the Israeli border.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Lebanese government is now facing mounting pressure from Israeli and US officials to disarm Hezbollah and establish a state monopoly on weapons.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Hanin Ghaddar, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Israel appears to be preparing to confront Hezbollah again, following recent military strikes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWar is coming, unless Lebanon\u2019s leadership wakes up from denial and faces its responsibilities to its own citizens,\u201d Ghaddar said in a post on X.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat can be done? Start disarming Hezbollah in a more serious way \u2013 that is, north of Litani and the Beqaa, while targeting Hezbollah\u2019s political and financial infrastructure,\u201d she continued.<\/span><\/p>\n