A French official said that Paris would back the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) if Beirut decides to send them on a security mission to the southern border with Israel, according to Breaking Defence.
France is watching the security situation deteriorate along the Israel-Lebanon border as Israeli Armed Forces (IDF) and the Iranian-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah have engaged in mutual shelling, raising growing concerns about a wider war there. The French official suggested the discussions centred around the Lebanese Armed Forces heading to the border to quell the violence. The official stated:
Nothing will happen without a political green light, but we need to be prepared to facilitate an increased presence of the LAF in South Lebanon to contribute to the security of the Lebanese people and to the sovereignty of the Lebanese state and territory.
In recent days, Israel has endorsed military plans for a wider conflict in Lebanon, while Hezbollah’s leadership has responded with threats to widen the conflict. France believes stationing Lebanese government forces to the southern border could help calm the situation, as neither Israel nor Hezbollah would want to provoke a wider conflict, especially since they do not want to be complicit in the killing of government forces.
In addition, Paris may postpone the international conference in Paris, which would encourage friendly countries to contribute to the security of Lebanese armed forces specifically to support operations in the south. The official emphasised the importance of securing the southern part of the country. He stated:
I think that’s my personal opinion, we wish the Lebanese state would be able to enforce its sovereignty on its territory. But of course, there are many challenges. So we need to be prepared. (…) I mean, we are fully aware we cannot be too naive or too optimistic. But history is full of surprises. And if something happens, and there is a window of opportunity, we cannot miss it.
Statements from Iran, Israel
Iran says Hezbollah can defend itself and Lebanon, warning Israel that it would be the loser in an all-out war with the Lebanese armed group. Tehran’s statement on Friday came amid continuing fears of a major Israeli offensive in Lebanon. Iran’s mission to the United Nations said in a social media post:
“Any imprudent decision by the occupying Israeli regime to save itself could plunge the region into a new war, the consequence of which would be the destruction of Lebanon’s infrastructure as well as that of the 1948 occupied territories. (…) Undoubtedly, this war will have one ultimate loser, which is the Zionist regime. The Lebanese Resistance Movement, Hezbollah, has the capability to defend itself and Lebanon – perhaps the time for the self-annihilation of this illegitimate regime has come.”
Israel also issued a threat against Hezbollah on Friday when Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Israel would soon “make the necessary decisions,” calling on the free world to unconditionally support Israel in its war “against the axis of evil.”
Earlier, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said if the Israeli Armed Forced (IDF) starts a war in Lebanon, the group will use its missiles and drones to hit targets throughout Israel. He warned that Hezbollah would wage war with “no restraint and no rules and no ceilings.” He added Israel plans to use airports and bases in Cyprus for military purposes if its own infrastructure is targeted in a major war. Hezbollah also has information that Israel is conducting military exercises in Cyprus, a territory similar to southern Lebanon.
While almost daily clashes have displaced tens of thousands of people in Lebanon and Israel, they have generally confined themselves to border areas. Violence has increased in recent weeks, particularly after an Israeli air raid killed the senior Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon last week. Washington has pushed for a diplomatic solution to the crisis while expressing concern over Hezbollah’s attacks, but the group has said it will continue operations against the Israeli military until Israel ends the war in Gaza.
