Beirut's southern suburbs a day after an Israeli strike, in the fall of 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — Israel sent an indirect message to Lebanon that it would strike hard, targeting civilian infrastructure, including Beirut's airport, if Hezbollah gets involved in any U.S.-Iran war, two senior Lebanese officials told Reuters on Tuesday.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Lebanese presidency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Iran and the U.S. will hold a third round of nuclear talks on Thursday in Geneva, Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on Sunday, amid growing concerns about the risk of military conflict.
The U.S. State Department is pulling out non-essential government personnel and their eligible family members from the U.S. embassy in Beirut, a senior State Department official told Reuters on Monday.
According to diplomatic channels that relayed information to Lebanese officials, Israel has drawn up a list of about 1,200 targets in Lebanon ready to be struck should Hezbollah enter the war, they told L’Orient-Le Jour on Friday.
L’Orient-Le Jour also reported over the weekend that Israel is considering either a preemptive action against Hezbollah or, if it detects movements by the party, launching a powerful strike targeting numerous command centers and positions, as well as carrying out targeted assassinations of senior and military officials.
Hezbollah, for its part, is taking all these scenarios into account and is acting as though war is imminent and could extend to Lebanon or provide Israel with an opportunity to intensify its strikes against the party.
According to our information, two currents coexist within Hezbollah: one favors avoiding involvement in the war and sparing both the party and Lebanon its consequences; the other believes it is imperative to fully enter the conflict and no longer remain silent in the face of Israeli strikes.
Foreign Minister Joe Rajji, currently in Geneva for a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, said Beirut is working to prevent Israeli attacks on Lebanon in the case of Hezbollah's involvement in any U.S.-Iran escalation.
“We are currently undertaking diplomatic approaches to request that, even in the event of retaliation, Lebanese civilian infrastructure not be targeted,” Rajji told several media outlets, including AFP.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam again called on Hezbollah not to become involved in a potential confrontation between the United States and Iran.
“The Gaza adventure cost Lebanon dearly, and we hope not to be dragged into a new adventure,” Salam said in an interview published Tuesday in Nidaa al-Watan.
