The intensity of threats against Hezbollah has escalated following Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah's comments about Cyprus and the foreign bases situated on its territory. A notable development that emerged in the past few hours relates to reports from Israeli media revealing the behind-the-scenes discussions between Israelis and Americans concerning the war against Hezbollah. Israeli officials warned that there will soon be no option but to take military action in the north against Hezbollah due to the recent escalation between the two sides.
Channel 12 noted that a report was published about talks in Washington aimed at resolving the arms crisis with the United States and preventing further escalation in the region. According to the report, "Americans believe that the key to resolving the situation in the north is to halt Israeli operations in Rafah, while Israel urged the White House that it needs arms to be prepared to operate in Lebanon."
The Channel 12 report cited American officials saying: "If it turns to war in the north, Israel will need to determine what objective is required, and it must be a goal that it can withstand, as it cannot be dragged into a lengthy campaign." They added, "This requires Israel to generate international legitimacy for action and an international umbrella; in this case, Israel will be asked to use weapons and weapon systems it has not used before. If these measures are not taken, it will be unable to stop the fire from Lebanon to Israeli territory."
Regarding American weapons, the Israelis indicated that "they do not feel animosity from the Americans, but there is nonetheless a perception that shipments are arriving at a slower pace compared to the beginning of the war. Israeli officials have implored the Americans, stating that Israel needs these shipments significantly due to its missions in the south and certainly in light of the need to prepare in the north," according to Channel 12.
Americans believe it will be difficult for Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah to sever ties between the two fronts. They proposed some new ideas to their Israeli counterparts aimed at restoring calm, as reported.
Channel 12 also highlighted a report from the British Telegraph claiming that "Hezbollah possesses many weapons at Beirut Airport," noting that "the timing of the publication is not coincidental, and those who leaked it to foreign media aimed to achieve at least two objectives." The first was to "remind the public of the disaster that struck Lebanon exactly four years ago, the Beirut port explosion, in an attempt to incite Lebanese public opinion against Hezbollah." The second was to convey that attacking foreign companies' aircraft constitutes an infringement on the sovereignty of a foreign country, thereby wanting to link the international community with the situation in Lebanon.
Moreover, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Works and Transport denied the claims made in the Telegraph report, which stated that Hezbollah uses Rafik Hariri Airport to transport and store weapons and missiles from Iran. Minister Ali Hamiyeh announced that Lebanon is in the process of preparing a lawsuit against the Telegraph following this report.
