AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The structural and criminal destruction of Gaza by the Zionist regime is now being fully repeated in southern Lebanon—an issue that has even become a concern for Washington officials. The escalating brutality of the Zionists shows that the promises of Netanyahu's government after the official end of hostilities with Hezbollah in November 2024 were completely false.
The Zionist regime's aggression against Iran, which began on February 28 with the full criminal complicity of the United States, coincided with the invasion of southern Lebanon, and since then, the increasing occupation of southern Lebanese areas has continued. This is ostensibly assessed as creating a buffer zone against Hezbollah attacks. The Zionists' optimistic assumption was that Iran would be eliminated as a threat, and consequently, Hezbollah's most important supporter and backer would be removed. At the time, a group of Zionist commentators and leaders praised the country's technical and military achievements, forgetting that Hezbollah is as much an idea as it is a living movement, and will be for the Zionist enemy a deep well, an uncertain and unending dead end. The Zionists never understood that beliefs can only be fought with superior beliefs, and Hezbollah resolutely resists tanks, missiles, and fighter jets.
Since March, Israel has been destroying infrastructure, displacing populations, and completely demolishing villages in southern Lebanon, under the delusional assumption that these actions would secure the Zionist settlements in the northern occupied territories near the border with Lebanon. In April, under the long shadow of the Iran war, another ceasefire was established between Israel and Lebanon, extended for 45 days until mid-May. This farcical display occurred while Israeli army operations continued, and by June 1, over one million Lebanese had been displaced and over 3,300 martyred. During this same period, 24 Zionist soldiers and 4 civilians were killed.
With Iran's resolute resistance in diplomacy, reinforced by the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and Hezbollah showing signs of renewed vigor in resistance, the Zionist enemy's plan has been thwarted. Hezbollah's eagerness to continue the resistance has manifested in deadly attacks against the Israeli army with jamming-resistant drones. These fiber optic, line-of-sight suicide drones, connected to the operator by a thin, very long wire, have a range of kilometers, with visibility and maneuverability. Zionist soldiers, who for a long time considered themselves armored and invulnerable against Hezbollah attacks, are now easily hunted.
Orna Mizrahi, a former Israeli national security official who heads the Lebanon program at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, acknowledges that "the drones have caused confusion because they are a surprise. The Israeli army didn't think they would be this dangerous. In Israel, they were seen as toys." Statements from the Israeli army, as quoted by the Times of Israel, indicate that the regime's soldiers no longer have a simplistic view of these drones. These drones pose a "dynamic and evolving threat, with cheap and accessible tools and a high rate of change."
BBC reported the chaotic account of Sami Zanti, the head of the Shomera town council in northern Israel, as follows: "The problem is you don't feel them coming. You're sitting, and suddenly it arrives. And if you run, it follows you."
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, acknowledging the dangers posed by these cheap and efficient death packages, promises that a "special team" is trying to "solve this problem."
Despite the increasing casualties of Zionist forces, Israeli propaganda about the regime's victories continues powerfully, attempting to justify the Zionists' policy of aggression against Lebanon. The occupation of the Beaufort Castle area and Ali al-Taher hill on May 31 by the Zionists was celebrated by the Alma Research and Education Center as an operationally significant achievement, as it is a strategic area in southern Lebanon of high importance to all involved parties. Additionally, "losing control of the Beaufort area" was considered "a direct operational failure for Hezbollah."
This ground operation, which the Zionists falsely describe as a sign of determination, cannot hide the growing desperation in Netanyahu's government, to the point that he was forced to threaten an attack on Lebanon's capital on June 1. On June 2, Israel Katz, the Israeli Minister of War, told participants at the Defense Export Conference that bombing some neighborhoods in Beirut claimed to be linked to Hezbollah is on the agenda.
He stated in this regard: "Proving this policy in protecting settlements near the border is simple and will become clear in the coming days: whether the shooting at settlements stops, or if it continues and we attack Beirut's southern suburbs, this equation will become reality."
Currently, another artificial and childish ceasefire is in place, achieved only after a shouting, profanity-filled phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Netanyahu on June 1.
According to a U.S. official cited by Axios, Trump shouted: "You're a fucking crazy man. If it weren't for me, you'd be in jail right now. I'm saving you. Everyone hates you now. Everyone hates Israel because of this."
This comes as Trump himself is trapped in the face of Iran, as Tehran has made the cessation of Israeli aggressions against Lebanon a precondition for negotiations.
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