{"id":130571,"date":"2026-05-15T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=130571"},"modified":"2026-05-15T06:19:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T04:19:24","slug":"18-00-112","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=130571","title":{"rendered":"Hezbollah Belligerence Prompts Fears of Assassination Campaign in Lebanon"},"content":{"rendered":"<hr \/>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"center alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/www.reunion68.com\/Biuletyn\/img\/algem.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"35%\" \/><\/a><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #000080;\"><span><strong><a style=\"color: #000080; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/2026\/05\/14\/hezbollah-belligerence-prompts-fears-assassination-campaign-lebanon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hezbollah Belligerence Prompts Fears of Assassination Campaign in Lebanon<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Ailin Vilches Arguello<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\" \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2023-05-21T000000Z_1099761387_MT1NURPHO000H6ZOMO_RTRMADP_3_LEBANON-HEZBOLLAH-ISRAEL-CONFLICT-1.jpg\" width=\"100%\" \/><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>Lebanese Hezbollah fighters take part in cross-border raids, part of a large-scale military exercise, in Aaramta bordering Israel on May 21, 2023, ahead of the anniversary of Israel\u2019s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. Photo: Fadel Itani\/NurPhoto via Reuters Connect<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">As direct negotiations between Lebanese and Israeli officials resumed in Washington, DC on Thursday, fears continued mounting inside Lebanon that Hezbollah could unleash a new wave of political violence and destabilization efforts amid growing pressure to dismantle the\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/2024\/11\/01\/irans-quds-force-chief-pens-letter-new-hezbollah-leader-vowing-support-destroy-israel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Iran-backed terrorist group\u2019s military grip<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">According to a new report from the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC), an Israel-based research institute, concerns have intensified over Hezbollah\u2019s escalating rhetoric and the prospect of internal unrest as the Lebanese government pushes to establish a state monopoly over weapons and curb the Islamist group\u2019s influence across the country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The Iranian proxy has accused Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam of betraying the \u201cresistance\u201d and collaborating with Israel amid ongoing direct bilateral negotiations, branding them \u201ctraitors\u201d aligned with foreign interests.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">At the same time,\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/2026\/03\/10\/path-normalization-lebanese-president-turns-hezbollah-calls-israel-talks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lebanese officials have increasingly lashed out at Hezbollah<\/a>, accusing the terrorist group, which Iran established inside Lebanon in the early 1980s, of dragging the country toward another devastating war and undermining Lebanon\u2019s sovereignty and stability.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Against the backdrop of an increasingly hostile political climate, ITIC\u2019s new report warns that Hezbollah could once again resort to political assassinations in an effort to block moves perceived as existential threats to the organization and restore its power.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">According to Israeli intelligence assessments, the renewed direct negotiations with Israel could even place Aoun\u2019s life at risk.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Experts point to Hezbollah\u2019s Unit 121, a covert entity subordinate to the group\u2019s leadership, which has been linked to a series of assassinations of Hezbollah opponents in Lebanon\u2019s political and security arenas over the past two decades.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Given Hezbollah\u2019s limited ability to exert broader influence within the Lebanese government \u2014 with its ministers accounting for less than a third of the cabinet \u2014 ITIC warns the group may increasingly rely on Unit 121\u2019s operational capabilities and years of accumulated experience to drive internal destabilization and intimidate political rivals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The terrorist group has repeatedly\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/2026\/04\/17\/israeli-defense-chief-says-hezbollah-will-be-disarmed-terror-group-vows-continued-resistance-as-truce-begins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">defied international calls to disarm<\/a>, even threatening protests and civil unrest if the government tries to enforce control over its weapons.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">According to a new report by the Israeli news outlet\u00a0<i>Walla<\/i>, Hezbollah is now putting in place a plan of action to assert control over Beirut, the Lebanese capital, and push out more pragmatic political elements.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The group is also reportedly redistributing its forces across southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley, as its leadership believes Israel is preparing moves designed to divide the country, forcing a broader dispersal of its fighters accordingly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">With direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials resuming this week, Hezbollah has also called for a national referendum, arguing that the country\u2019s leadership is ignoring a substantial segment of the population opposed to any future peace agreement with Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cJoseph Aoun is one of the worst presidents to ever lead Lebanon because he is not a unifying figure. He ignores the concerns of a large segment of Lebanese society that\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/2026\/05\/12\/evolving-drone-war-southern-lebanon-increasingly-defines-israel-hezbollah-fight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rejects any peace with Israel<\/a>,\u201d senior Hezbollah official Nawaf al-Musawi told Qatari news channel\u00a0Al-Arabi.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cIt is a disgrace that such a handshake would be extended to someone whose hands are stained with the blood of our people while their homes are being destroyed,\u201d he continued, referring to the possibility of a meeting between Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cThe negotiations they are now offering are an illusion. Our roadmap is resistance on the ground that will force the enemy to retreat,\u201d al-Musawi further said. \u201cWe are staying here, defending Lebanon, and we will not commit political suicide through direct and humiliating negotiations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">With the third round of negotiations taking place on Thursday in Washington, Beirut is reportedly insisting that a ceasefire must precede any future talks and is even considering delaying the process unless full de-escalation is secured in advance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Lebanese officials have also reiterated that the decision to establish a state monopoly over weapons is final, though its implementation remains contingent on securing a broader security arrangement with Israel under US guarantees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Meanwhile, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem reiterated on Tuesday the group\u2019s demand for an immediate end to direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cNo external party has the right to interfere in the issue of weapons or the resistance. This is an internal Lebanese matter and has nothing to do with negotiations with the enemy,\u201d the terrorist leader said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cWe will not surrender, and we will continue defending Lebanon and its people regardless of the sacrifices required. We will not abandon the battlefield, and we will turn it into hell for Israel,\u201d he continued.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Israel has\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/2026\/04\/24\/idf-unveils-ai-powered-robotic-warfare-system-breakthrough-artillery-against-hezbollah\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">continued its military campaign<\/a>\u00a0in neighboring southern Lebanon to root out Hezbollah, with strikes reaching areas roughly 20 kilometers from Beirut over the weekend in one of the deepest escalations in months.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Over the past month, more than 45 Hezbollah infrastructure sites \u2014 including weapons depots, military facilities, and rocket launchers \u2014 have been struck, with the military also reporting that around 350 operatives have been killed and approximately 1,100 affiliated targets hit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Israeli officials are now reportedly preparing for the possibility of a major expansion of ground operations in southern Lebanon after Israeli forces crossed the Litani River last weekend and began conducting covert operations deeper inside Lebanese territory.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel reignited on March 2, when the terrorist group opened fire in support of Iran two days after the start of the joint US-Israeli military campaign against the Iranian regime.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Since then, Israeli forces have established a \u201cbuffer zone\u201d initially extending 5 to 10 km (3 to 6 miles) into Lebanese territory, which officials say is meant to shield northern residents from Hezbollah attacks amid thousands of rockets and drones fired throughout the war.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Even though a US-backed ceasefire has sharply reduced violence, negotiations and prospects for lasting peace remain fragile, with\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/2026\/05\/07\/after-beirut-strike-netanyahu-says-no-immunity-terrorists\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Israeli forces still launching strikes<\/a>\u00a0while positioned in southern Lebanon to maintain its buffer zone and dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\" \/>\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"content-alignment\">\n<div id=\"watch-description\" class=\"yt-uix-button-panel\">\n<div id=\"watch-description-text\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><em>Zawarto\u015b\u0107 publikowanych artyku\u0142\u00f3w i materia\u0142\u00f3w nie reprezentuje pogl\u0105d\u00f3w ani opinii Reunion&#8217;68,<\/em><em><br \/>\nani te\u017c webmastera Blogu Reunion&#8217;68, chyba ze jest to wyra\u017anie zaznaczone.<br \/>\nTwoje uwagi, linki, w\u0142asne artyku\u0142y lub wiadomo\u015bci prze\u015blij na adres:<br \/>\n<\/em><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong><em><a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"mailto:webmaster@reunion68.com\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">webmaster@reunion68.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr style=\"width: 100%;\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hezbollah Belligerence Prompts Fears of Assassination Campaign in Lebanon Ailin Vilches Arguello Lebanese Hezbollah fighters take part in cross-border raids, part of a large-scale military exercise, in Aaramta bordering Israel on May 21, 2023, ahead of the anniversary of Israel\u2019s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. Photo: Fadel Itani\/NurPhoto via Reuters Connect As direct negotiations [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[33,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130571"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=130571"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130571\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":130589,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130571\/revisions\/130589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=130571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=130571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=130571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}