"It [Israel] will smell the scent of resistance every day," said Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Lebanon's most senior Shi'ite statesman and a Hezbollah ally. Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker warned on Tuesday that Israeli forces in parts of the country's south would face resistance if they fail to withdraw, signaling a risk of renewed confrontation ahead of US-mediated talks this week.
A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah mediated by Washington came into effect on Thursday, but Israeli forces remain deployed in a belt of Lebanese land 5-10 km deep along the entire border. Israel has said it aims to create a buffer zone to shield northern Israel from attacks by Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shi'ite Muslim terrorist group.
On Thursday, the US will host ambassador-level talks between Israel and Lebanon, which were dragged into war on March 2 when Hezbollah opened fire in support of Tehran in the regional conflict. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Lebanon's most senior Shi'ite statesman and a Hezbollah ally, told Lebanese newspaper al-Joumhouria that Lebanon could not tolerate losing a meter of land.
If Israel "maintains its occupation, whether of areas, positions, or by drawing yellow lines, it will smell the scent of resistance every day," said Berri, leader of the Shi'ite Amal Movement. The IDF and Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both referred to Israel's deployment line in Lebanon as the "Yellow Line" last week - the same term used by Israel for its deployment line in Gaza. Israeli officials have since refrained from describing it in those terms, instead calling it the "Forward Defense Line," marked on a military map published on Sunday, which also included a "naval forward defense area" extending from Lebanon's coast to the sea. (Read More)
