""You are located near buildings used by Hezbollah, and for your own safety you must evacuate them immediately," the Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli military said on Saturday afternoon. Then something rather unusual happened. The Lebanese army requested that, instead of an Israeli air strike, it should be allowed to inspect the premises for weapons itself. In what Israeli media would later describe as a "rare" and "unprecedented" event, the Israelis agreed and called the air strike on Yanouh off."
"Hezbollah is not just a militia, though; it is also an important political and social force in Lebanon, often described as a "state within a state," with a social welfare network and military to rival actual Lebanese institutions. Between October 2023 and November 2024, the Israeli military attacked Hezbollah and Lebanon by land and air. In November, a ceasefire was brokered by France and the US, with one of the conditions being that Lebanon disarm Hezbollah by December 31."
An Israeli military warning ordered residents of Yanouh to evacuate because buildings there were used by Hezbollah. The Lebanese army requested permission to inspect the premises for weapons, and Israel canceled a planned air strike. After the November 2024 ceasefire, Israeli forces mostly withdrew and Lebanese civilians returned home. The ceasefire included a condition that Lebanon disarm Hezbollah by December 31. Following Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Israeli forces expanded strikes to Hezbollah and other pro-Iranian militias across Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Hezbollah operates extensive social services alongside a capable military force.
Read at www.dw.com
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