Israeli official: Hezbollah is rebuilding its capabilities in Beirut and Tyre – the army prepares for another round if Iran is struck

Hezbollah is rebuilding its military capabilities in Beirut, while the Israeli army is preparing for a new round of fighting if the organisation attacks inside Israel in an escalation with Iran. That is what an Israeli security official told the Israeli site Walla on Wednesday, October 21. His statements were reproduced in English by the Jerusalem Post.

The official said Israel is not satisfied with the Lebanese army’s implementation of the agreements. A few days earlier the Lebanese army located a Hezbollah tunnel in the Rueisat al-Jadida area of eastern Beirut. According to the official, the disclosure was meant to show that the army also acts in the heart of the capital, where the organisation has moved part of its capabilities from the south. “We are not satisfied with the Lebanese mechanism, and the issue of Hezbollah’s tunnels does not surprise us,” he said.

“They are working on rehabilitation and military build-up not only in southern Lebanon, but also in Beirut and Tyre, where the largest concentrations of the Shiite population are,” the official said. In some cases the organisation has restored assets that were damaged or destroyed by Israeli strikes. One of the scenarios presented to Israeli Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir foresees Hezbollah joining a wider regional conflict, with strikes inside Israel, if the US or Israel attack Iran.

According to Walla, Hezbollah retains a variety of assets that would let it withstand several months of fighting: rockets, missiles of various ranges, fibre-optic or SIM-card-guided drones, which pose a serious challenge to the Israeli army, as well as regular drones and loitering munitions. The organisation continuously trains anti-tank and observation teams for the next round in southern Lebanon and on the border.

On Wednesday Israel carried out air strikes and demolitions in parts of southern Lebanon, including Kfar Tebnit and Hadatha, as reported by Lebanon’s NNA agency. The strikes were also logged by Middle East Eye. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called for continued negotiations to end the Israeli occupation of the south, while the two sides have already begun military talks mediated by CENTCOM. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said Israel will act again if Hezbollah rebuilds.

The report came on the same day as the New York Times disclosure of US and Israeli plans for new strikes on Iran after the American elections.