The ongoing conflict in southern Lebanon has displaced over 1 million people and resulted in 2,534 deaths, while the Lebanese government struggles to assert control over its own territory, which is increasingly dominated by foreign-backed proxy forces. Israeli forces detonated two kilometers (1.25 miles) of tunnels in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, with Israeli defense officials stating these tunnels were built with Iranian guidance and funding.
The Israeli military reported that the network included two large tunnels, one 800 meters long and another 1.2 kilometers long, equipped with sleeping rooms, toilets, kitchen facilities, and launchers aimed at Israel. An Israeli military official detailed that the network contained large rooms capable of holding over 100 Hezbollah fighters at once, running underneath and alongside a mosque, school, and soccer field in a town roughly 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Israeli border.
Israeli airstrikes also hit the villages of Chakra, Tebnine, and Kafra in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, and a drone strike hit a motorcycle in the village of Mansouri, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency. The Israeli military asked residents of 16 southern villages to evacuate, stating that Hezbollah is using these communities to launch attacks on Israeli troops.
Foreign Encroachment and Dispossession
The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that the Israel-Hezbollah war has led to 2,534 deaths and 7,863 wounded since it broke out less than 2 months ago. The conflict has displaced more than 1 million people and caused destruction valued at billions of dollars. Defense Minister Israel Katz stated the army had been instructed to destroy any Hezbollah infrastructure it finds in southern Lebanon "just like in Gaza." Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu declared, "we are not done yet" after the destruction of the Hezbollah tunnels, adding that a "special project to eliminate the drone threats" would also be pursued.
Erosion of National Sovereignty
Israeli ambassador Danny Danon asserted that Lebanon would not have sovereignty "as long as Hezbollah controls the territory" and continues to operate without interference. Danon further stated that if the U.N. Security Council seeks to assist Lebanon, it should demand an accounting of seized Hezbollah weapons, destroyed tunnels, and efforts to stop arms smuggling from Iran. He emphasized that "International support for Lebanon must depend on results on the ground and not more empty statements."
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar affirmed that Israel had "no territorial ambitions" in Lebanon, but maintained that the Israeli military-controlled "buffer zone" stretching 10 kilometers (6 miles) into Lebanon was necessary to protect residents in Israel’s north. Saar stated that "Hezbollah has transformed the entire front line of southern Lebanon into a network of terrorist infrastructure, and this threat has not been properly addressed by the Lebanese government." He added that the Lebanese government must take practical steps to restore its sovereignty against "de facto Iranian control" in its territory.
The Human Cost of Unchecked Power
Despite dozens of its soldiers being killed, the Western-backed Lebanese army has largely stood on the sidelines during the recent rounds of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned an Israeli strike on a Lebanese army patrol, stating it violated international law by targeting rescue and emergency workers. The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that this strike killed five people, including three paramedics, and wounded two soldiers during a rescue operation. A shaky temporary ceasefire remains in effect, with both sides accusing each other of violations. The Israeli military also reported that a civilian employee of an engineering company working with the military in southern Lebanon was killed on Tuesday.