Following the strikes, Katz said Israel would continue to strike at all Hezbollah violations. “We will not budge from our policy of maximum enforcement and will not allow threats to arise against the residents of the north and all citizens of Israel,” he said. In a message to Lebanon’s new President Joseph Aoun, Katz said Israel views Beirut as “directly responsible for enforcing Lebanon’s sovereignty and upholding the ceasefire agreement.”
The Lebanese government has been working to disarm Hezbollah, but has sometimes been criticized for not doing so effectively. Critics of Israeli policy, however, argue that carrying out such strikes too regularly without allowing the Lebanese government to dismantle Hezbollah on its own may risk undermining the first-ever government that has expressed a genuine willingness to address the issue. The strikes came hours after Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem vowed t o fight government plans to disarm his group, with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accusing him of making “unacceptable” threats to unleash civil war. (Ed note:The problem is that the Beaufort Castle is located on the Litani River, and the IDF has told Hezbollah that they must remain north of that river as a condition for peace.) (Read More)
