The aftermath of the Iranian attack on Israel will not be the same as before concerning deterrence equations and the balance of power in the region, yet it could be more severe for Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. It has become evident that there will be no Iranian response to Israel unless the latter directly attacks Iran. Therefore, Israel, which has suffered a moral blow, might retaliate against Iranian proxies in the region, prolonging the ongoing war since October, according to "An-Nahar."
Despite significant internal and external developments, there has been no change in the positions of the parties, even with the looming danger to Lebanon, which was avoided from expanding into a regional conflict last Saturday night. However, the Iranian attack on Israel did not affect the trajectory of the Israeli war on Lebanon, as Tel Aviv expanded its strikes hitting new targets deep in Baalbek. Although Prime Minister Najib Mikati attempted to leverage the developments to bring together ministers—both supporters and dissenters—around the cabinet table again to discuss the current regional and domestic developments, he was compelled, due to the ministers' insistence on continuing their boycott, to convert the session into a discussion only, without the need for a legal quorum.
The General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers issued a statement saying: "Feeling a sense of national responsibility and the need to seek the opinions of most honorable ministers and listen to them, especially during this delicate period the country is going through, the Prime Minister decided to replace the cabinet session scheduled for Monday morning with a consultative session held on the same date, time, and place."
**Syrian Displacement**
It is expected that a future cabinet session will be dedicated to a serious discussion of the Syrian displacement file, which was highlighted by the killing of Pascal Suleiman, the Lebanese Forces coordinator in the Byblos district. The issue of displacement has been a topic of speeches and comments in recent days, especially coinciding with the anniversary of the Lebanese war (April 13, 1975). President Mikati announced from Bkerke that we are working on a solution to the Syrian refugee crisis through communications we are making, starting with considering most regions in Syria as safe areas to facilitate the repatriation of Syrians who came to Lebanon under the guise of refugees.
"We must distinguish between Syrians residing in Lebanese territories who work and contribute to the economy and those entering under the label of refugees and displaced persons aiming to benefit from this situation. When there are safe areas in Syria and international recognition of this issue, most Syrians in Lebanon who do not perform any work or are not legally in Lebanon will be repatriated. Those with residency and work permits who operate legally will be respected like any other Arab citizen."
Mikati was quickly challenged by Samir Geagea, the leader of the Lebanese Forces, who replied: "Respectfully, Mr. Prime Minister, all these plans are just a waste of time."
**Field Developments**
On the ground, Israeli airstrikes targeted a site belonging to Hezbollah on Sunday, in an area between Nabi Sheet and Sirine near Baalbek, hitting a two-story building affiliated with the party. The National News Agency reported that an enemy airstrike targeted one of the buildings in Nabi Sheet and destroyed it. A photographer from AFP reported that the building had turned into a mere metal structure.
Israeli army spokesperson Avichai Adraee stated on X platform that "warplanes of the air force struck an important site for manufacturing weapons belonging to the terrorist organization Hezbollah in the Nabi Sheet area in deep Lebanon." This came hours after the party announced it had launched dozens of rockets in two phases targeting Israeli military sites in the occupied Golan Heights in response to nighttime Israeli airstrikes targeting several safe villages and towns.
Moreover, Hezbollah mourned in a statement the death of one of its fighters from the town of Khyam. The Israeli army reported that Israeli warplanes bombed sites belonging to Hezbollah in the towns of Khyam and Kfarkela. The outskirts of the town of Houla were hit, particularly the al-Maslabiat neighborhood opposite the Israeli Al-Abbad site. Continuous flights of Israeli drones were reported over the southern and northern areas of the Litani River. Since October 8, at least 364 people have died in Lebanon, including 240 Hezbollah members and 70 civilians, according to statistics compiled by AFP based on Hezbollah data and official Lebanese sources, as reported by "An-Nahar."
