After Israel threatened a “strong response” to the attack in Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights on Sunday, Hezbollah evacuated significant positions in southern and eastern Lebanon that could be targets for Tel Aviv.
A source close to Hezbollah told Agence France-Presse today, Sunday, “The party evacuated positions in the south and the Bekaa which it believes could be natural targets for Israel.”
Hezbollah’s presence is concentrated in the Bekaa region along the Syrian border, and in southern Lebanon where it exchanges almost daily shelling with Israel since the start of the war in Gaza between the Israeli military and its ally Hamas.
In Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that pro-Tehran groups “evacuated positions they were stationed in the Sayyida Zainab area in southern Damascus,” and other areas in the border town of Quneitra.
The Observatory added, “In anticipation of possible Israeli airstrikes on Syrian territory in the coming period, the groups have attempted to hide and reposition.”
Hezbollah had evacuated sites at the beginning of June after intense Israeli targeting in Syria, according to the Observatory.
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have significantly escalated recently, marked by frequent cross-border conflicts and aggressive rhetoric from both sides. The situation intensified following an October 7 attack by Hamas against Israel, which led to Hezbollah launching rocket strikes against Israel in solidarity with Hamas. This has set off a cycle of retaliatory actions that have continued to escalate the conflict.
The United States has been actively trying to de-escalate the situation, but disagreements about the conditions for a ceasefire, particularly Hezbollah’s demand for a ceasefire in Gaza before it will stop its attacks on Israel, have complicated these efforts. U.S. officials have expressed their disagreement with Hezbollah’s stance, emphasizing the need to separate the two issues to reduce the risk of a broader conflict.
The international community remains concerned about the potential for this conflict to broaden further, affecting the wider regional stability. Efforts continue to bring both parties to negotiate, but the mutual hostility and strategic calculations of Hezbollah and Israel suggest a complex and protracted conflict scenario may be likely unless a significant diplomatic breakthrough occurs.
