Netanyahu says Lebanon faces destruction 'like Gaza' as Israel expands offensive in country

ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu has warned the people of Lebanon they could face “destruction and suffering” like the Palestinians in war-torn Gaza if they don’t “free” the country from Hezbollah.

“You have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will lead to destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza,” Netanyahu said in a video address directed to the people of Lebanon.

“I say to you, the people of Lebanon: Free your country from Hezbollah so that this war can end.”

Netanyahu said Israeli forces “took out thousands of terrorists, including (Hassan) Nasrallah himself and Nasrallah’s replacement and the replacement of his replacement.”

It comes as the Israeli military today launched targeted raids against Hezbollah in southwest Lebanon.

It has expanded its ground operations along the country’s coastline after deploying more troops.

“Yesterday, the 146th Division began limited, localised, targeted operational activities against Hezbollah terror targets and infrastructure in southwestern Lebanon,” the military said in a statement on its Telegram channel.

It follows the Israeli army issuing another call to residents to evacuate from areas in southern Beirut, as the military bombs Hezbollah positions in Lebanon’s capital.

Hezbollah said it fired rockets at the Israeli port city of Haifa, after the Israeli military reported 85 projectiles crossing from Lebanon.

Israel has intensified its campaign against Lebanese militant group Hezbollah since 23 September, killing more than 1,110 people and forcing more than one million people to flee their homes.

The Israeli Defence Forces confirmed that it had gone as far as Naqoura where the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission has its headquarters – a small number of Irish troops are stationed there. 

Sources have reported heavy shelling in the western area as Israelis moved into new positions. 

Situation for Irish troops

It is understood that Irish troops experienced a quieter time last night as Israel is now focusing on the Western and Eastern flanks of the Irish area of operations.

Irish troops have been hunkering down in bases along the Blue Line at the Lebanon-Israel border as part of UNIFIL. 

There has been a complete stop on any movement of the 10,000 UNIFIL troops due to the intense fighting. Sources have said back channel discussions and negotiations are continuing at United Nations level to allow freedom of movement for the peacekeepers. 

This will include an ability to resupply posts that have been left isolated since Israel started its incursion last week.

UNIFIL in Lebanon’s war-ravaged south have warned that Israel’s operations near one of their positions were dangerous and compromised their safety.

The Journal has obtained photographs that show Israeli tanks apparently using the Irish outpost at 6-52 inside Lebanon, just a few hundred metres from an Israeli base inside Israel near Avimim. 

Media reports have been circulating of a Hezbollah assurance that they will not target the Israelis using 6-52 as cover but The Journal has not been able to verify that with official sources. 

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The Israeli military (IDF) has asked UNIFIL personnel to leave some of their bases in the south of Lebanon, but the UN forces have stayed put, choosing to remain as observers to the conflict. 

Conversely, the UN has asked Israel to withdraw from its position but they have not responded to that request. 

A new statement from the Irish Defence Forces has reiterated that all Irish troops have been uninjured overnight. 

“The Defence Forces can confirm that all Irish troops are accounted for and well. The 124 Infantry Battalion remains vigilant and reported no significant changes to the operational environment at this time. They continue to monitor and report violations of UNSCR 1701 by all parties, independently and impartially.

“Defence Forces Headquarters remain in regular contact with our leadership and UNIFIL HQ on the ground, getting updates on the ongoing situation in our three mission areas (UNDOF, UNTSO and UNIFIL).

“The safety and security of our personnel stationed in the region remains of paramount concern to the General Staff, and we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the families and friends of our personnel for their steadfast support throughout this deployment,” the statement read. 

There are 364 Irish personnel deployed in UNIFIL – 353 deployed with the 124 Infantry Battalion, 6 with UNIFIL HQ in Naquora, 3 in UNIFIL Sector west HQ and 2 with Observer Group Lebanon (OGL).

Irish citizens flown home

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that 26 Irish citizens and their dependents have been helped to leave Lebanon by the Government on specially arranged flights.

A spokesperson for the Department said that the Irish citizens departed in recent days and have arrived back in Ireland. 

Last Friday 24 Irish citizens and their dependents left on Dutch and Canadian military aircraft from Beirut.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has now confirmed that a further two citizens have left the country. Diplomats are continuing to offer assistance to anyone else who wants to leave Lebanon as the situation continues to deteriorate with Israeli bombings across the country. 

“The citizens departed on flights operated by Ireland’s international partners, most arrived in Ireland over the weekend.

Israeli operations

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner, a spokesperson for the IDF, said the military has been conducting ground operations across the border “precisely because of how Hezbollah has built its network of attack infrastructure”.

“For the safety of the UN peacekeepers, we asked them to move out of those locations,” said Lerner.

“Unfortunately, up to now, this has not happened, but we are continuing to operate and taking into consideration their presence in the field.”

He added that the IDF will not move, as requested by UNIFIL, because it is “focused on our operations against Hezbollah”.

“We’ll continue with our operations, and we’ll have to operate with the understanding that there are United Nations peacekeepers there.”

He added that UN peacekeepers are “literally in between the Israeli towns and where Hezbollah is launching their attacks and rockets from”.

Lerner also said Hezbollah “has no regard for the United Nations Security Council resolution or the peacekeepers, so we are pushing forward”.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, stipulated that only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers should be deployed in south Lebanon.

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“We’re determined to push Hezbollah back, to get them away from our borders so that they can’t infiltrate Israel, come into our communities and do what Hamas did a year and one day ago,” said Lerner.

The IDF spokesperson added that Hezbollah has “tunnels that are heading to Israel” and that Israeli soldiers are finding vast amounts of weapons and explosions.

“This is why the operations are ongoing, because we don’t want there to be a 7 October originating from southern Lebanon under the noses of the UN peacekeepers.”

He added: “We need to ask how, over the last 20 years, has Hezbollah been able to establish a vast network of attack infrastructure, just a skip and hop away from the United Nations peacekeepers”.

Lerner also claimed there were “concerns” about Hezbollah “taking advantage of the presence of the UN to build their infrastructure”.

“UNIFIL has limited mandate and I think if Hezbollah would not have been permitted to violate 1701 and establish all of their infrastructure in the South of Lebanon, we wouldn’t be at war today,” said Lerner.

Hezbollah and Israel had been engaged in tit-for-tat cross-border rocket exchanges since the Hamas 7 October attack and thousands of Israelis have had to be relocated from their homes in northern Israel as a result.

The 7 October attack resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, which include hostages killed in captivity.

Some 251 people were taken hostage into Gaza, and of this figure, 97 hostages are still being held.

Lerner said Israel had “took the back foot and was accepting that situation because we had evacuated our people”.

But he added that “after a year of trying, together with UNIFIL and the Americans and the French, to negotiate a ceasefire that will permit Israelis to go back home, we decided enough is enough”.

“Israel cannot permit this Iranian proxy on our northern border that has been built precisely and funded and equipped and trained to conduct the atrocities of 7 October from the North,” added Lerner.

He said that once Israel is “confident that we’ve severed all of Hezbollah’s attack infrastructure and tools of terror, then we will be able to conclude this operation”.

Meanwhile, Iran has warned Israel against attacking any of its infrastructure amid fears of a possible Israeli assault on oil or nuclear sites following Iran’s missile barrage last week.

“Any attack against infrastructure in Iran will provoke an even stronger response,” state television quoted Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as saying.

Lerner said Israel is “planning and considering the options”.

“Our role as the military is to put those options on the table for the government to discuss and decide,” said Lerner.

“They will give their instructions, and we will operate accordingly.”

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