Israeli official says no intention for ground op, lauds Lebanese army and government

A senior Israeli official on Thursday lauded “the Lebanese Army’s efforts in collecting Hezbollah’s arms in south Lebanon,” noting that “the Lebanese government is serious about dismantling Hezbollah’s military capabilities in the South.”

“We attack any Hezbollah activist or infrastructure in line with the ceasefire agreement,” Al-Arabiya’s Al-Hadath channel quoted the official as saying.

“When the Lebanese Army completes its mission according to the agreement, we will withdraw from the South and end assassinations,” the Israeli official added.

“We do not have an intention to wage a ground attack in south Lebanon, but we’re ready for any possibility,” the official said, suggesting that “the collapse of Iran’s axis” and Israel’s “achievements in Lebanon” will help its government “implement Resolution 1701.”

“The situation in Lebanon has drastically changed and our army’s achievements contribute to reaching a better future,” the Israeli official said.

An Israeli security source meanwhile told Sky News Arabia that Israel’s operations in Lebanon “will continue as long as there is a Hezbollah military arm.”

“Any Hezbollah military operative is a target for us and those who lay down their arms and quit military action will be spared,” the source added.

“Hezbollah as infrastructure, arms and fighters is a target for us across Lebanon’s territory,” the source went on to say.

Hezbollah’s elite “Radwan forces will be dismantled -- either at the hands of Hezbollah or by us,” the Israeli source stressed, while noting that “Hezbollah’s attempts to return to the area south of the Litani River have been limited.”

“We know that for the Lebanese Army to perform its missions it has to be strong,” the source added, noting that the Lebanese Army is doing an “excellent” job as to the “destruction of Hezbollah’s weapons.”