Hezbollah supporters protest in Beirut
(Al Hdath)
The Hezbollah-affiliated Al Akhbar newspaper reported that the group was concerned that Israel would take control of areas in the Bekaa Valley and that armed Syrian militias would mobilize across the Lebanon-Syria border, as part of an American-Israeli-Saudi plan. The outlet quoted a security source who said that “dangerous developments” were afoot.
In its report, Al Akhbar said the IDF was 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from Lebanon’s border with Syria and might move to take hold of positions there as it had done in South Lebanon, thereby cutting the Bekaa off from the border. This would comport with the belief in Israel that most of Hezbollah’s strategic weapons are stored in the northern Bekaa.
But the threat from Israel does not stop there, the paper wrote and includes enlisting armed Syrian militias. This would prompt Hezbollah to take defensive measures, thereby becoming a target of direct attacks.
According to the report, Hezbollah opposes the new Syrian regime and suspects that it is coordinating with Israel to impose a siege on it and gain control of the border area, which has been of strategic importance for the Shiite group.
Following the Al Akhbar report, the Iran-backed Sabereen news agency in Iraq published a photo of Syrian President Al Sharaa in an IDF uniform.