Israel has warned that it could mount a full-scale military invasion of Lebanon reaching Beirut unless Hezbollah gives up its weapons, according to al-Modon newspaper. The warning was conveyed through US diplomatic channels and forms part of wider Israeli demands over the group’s disarmament and the role of the Lebanese Army in specified areas.
Al-Modon reported that US Ambassador Michel Issa delivered the warning last month to Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib, Deputy Head of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council. The ambassador said Israel would launch an invasion extending as far as Beirut if Hezbollah did not hand over its weapons, the report said.
The report did not say whether Issa’s message represented official US policy or whether he was acting as an intermediary for Israeli warnings. It also gave no timetable for any Israeli action or for the implementation of the demands described.
Israel has sent numerous messages to Lebanon, both directly and indirectly, calling for the complete disarmament of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group, according to al-Modon. The demands include disarmament in Jabal al-Rihan and Iqlim al-Tuffah.
Israel has also called for the Lebanese Army to deploy in Jabal Al-Rihan and Iqlim Al-Tuffah, where it wants the force to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure. The report did not describe the current deployment status in either area.
Among Israel’s conditions is a warning against a repeat of what it called the Ali al-Taher scenario. Al-Modon did not provide further detail about that reference or explain the circumstances Israel sought to avoid.
Tel Aviv has demanded a list naming every officer and member of personnel scheduled to deploy into trial zones, according to the report. It has also sought direct military coordination with the Lebanese Army.
Israel has further stipulated that personnel serving in pilot zones should have no affiliation with Hezbollah and should not belong to the Shiite community. The Lebanese Army has firmly rejected that condition, al-Modon reported.
The disagreement over personnel is a central point of friction in the discussions described by the newspaper. The report did not set out any counter-conditions proposed by the Lebanese Army, or say whether Lebanon and Israel had reached an arrangement on coordination, deployment or the future of Hezbollah’s weapons.
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