Israel gearing up for attacking Lebanon

Israel is reportedly completing the preparations of another war against Lebanon, four years after suffering a crushing defeat from the country’s resistance movement Hezbollah.

Lebanon’s leading daily newspaper As-Safir quoted an unnamed French official on Wednesday as saying that he was informed about the Israeli plan during his Middle East tour four weeks ago.

The French official said Israeli sources told him that they have completed their military and civil preparations over the past month and that the infrastructure and the settlements adjacent to the border with Lebanon were now ready to confront the prospect of war at any moment.

He went on to say that the Israeli troops have carried a series of military exercises aimed at ramping up their military capacity and testing the new army units in the Northern Command, which have been rebuilt, on the implementation of plans prepared against Hezbollah as soon as possible.

The French official added that the maneuvers, the latest of which was carried out in February, were based on confronting the advanced and long-range missile networks along with the intense firepower that could threaten Israel’s security.

Israel fought a 33-day war against Hezbollah in the summer of 2006 to destroy the military power of the Lebanese resistance.

Tel Aviv eventually suffered a humiliating defeat and was forced to leave the region without achieving any of its objectives.

The conflict destroyed most of Lebanon’s infrastructure and claimed the lives of more than 1,200 Lebanese — mainly civilians — and about 160 Israelis — mostly soldiers.