Shafaq News – Beirut

Israeli military escalation is likely in the near term, a retired Lebanese army officer warned on Sunday, hours after Israel targeted Hezbollah commander Abu Ali Tabatabai in an airstrike on Haret Hreik in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Retired Brigadier General Saeed Al-Qazah told Shafaq News that Israel “will not allow any future threat” from Hezbollah and will not accept a repeat of the post-2006 period, when the group rebuilt its capabilities despite UN Resolution 1701. He said Israel is expected to intensify airstrikes, conduct targeted operations, and pursue Hezbollah commanders and fighters, without launching a ground incursion.

Al-Qazah described Lebanon’s current political and security landscape as highly fragile, stressing that any future security reforms must take these conditions into account to prevent a wider conflict.

Earlier, the Israeli army formally claimed responsibility for killing Tabatabai. According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, the attack on Haret Hreik left five people dead and 21 injured in preliminary figures.

Despite a US-brokered ceasefire signed on November 27, 2024, Israeli forces remain deployed at five positions south of the Litani River and continue to conduct strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon, including Beirut’s suburbs. According to Lebanese authorities, Israel has committed 5,350 ceasefire violations between the truce and November 20, 2025, including 2,983 air, 2,189 ground, and 169 naval incursions, leaving 331 people dead and 945 injured.