Israel employing 'scorched earth' policy in Lebanon to paralyze Hezbollah - Arab sources

Israel is allegedly focusing its strikes on Lebanese areas that support Hezbollah but are not regularly involved with the terror group, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Nashra reported on Wednesday, citing anonymous security sources. Because of this, these areas do not receive aid or compensation from Hezbollah. The goal is to apply pressure and encourage internal opposition to the group within Lebanon.

"They cannot bear the burden of confronting Israel, neither financially nor logistically, as they struggle to find new housing and maintain daily life," the sources said.

According to the Lebanese newspaper, the IDF is targeting villages located further behind those near the border to increase pressure on the Lebanese government and fuel opposition to Hezbollah by destroying homes and displacing residents, thereby causing them to blame Hezbollah for supporting a decision made unilaterally in Gaza.

The Kuwaiti daily newspaper Al-Anba reported that a prominent source told the newspaper, "There is no doubt that we are facing a long war with no end in sight. It continues in Gaza despite the violent destruction and the growing number of massacres and casualties, with small local wars spreading to the West Bank to prevent any movement."

Turning areas into 'scorched earth'

The source continued, "In Lebanon, the situation is different. It is clear that in recent weeks, Israel has adopted a new approach by carrying out raids aimed at creating a buffer zone near the border by turning areas that could serve as potential military targets for the resistance into scorched earth. This was done by launching dozens of large missiles simultaneously, as happened yesterday at dawn in the forests of the Zibqin area, located about eight kilometers from the border, with 18 raids conducted within minutes. Before that, strikes were carried out in the Froun area and in the Wadi al-Hujeir region, where Israel retreated during the 2006 war."

The source claimed, "The goal of these raids is to completely uproot the population and turn these areas into uninhabited zones, thereby creating a buffer zone through the destruction that paralyzes Hezbollah and its ability to launch missiles."