An Iranian dictator is in control of the Lebanese people's future, IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis warned Sunday in an article published on opposition-affiliated media in Lebanon in what has been described as a highly unusual move.
Recalling a Lebanon-Israel border tour that Iran's regional proxy, Hezbollah, gave journalists in April, Manelis wrote, "Those unique images unmask the reality of Iran's growing control in Lebanon. It is clear that this unique phenomenon of 'terror tourism' is a concrete expression of the threat to the future of the Cedar State [Lebanon] and the entire region, which is in danger of being overrun by Tehran's henchmen.
"The past year, like the 11 years that followed the conclusion of the Second Lebanon War, has been characterized by relative stability on the Lebanese front. This calm benefits residents on both sides [of the border]. The fact that sixth-graders in northern Israel and southern Lebanon have never heard an air raid siren is the best proof of the stability of Israeli deterrence and the fact that the Lebanese people remember the magnitude of [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah's previous mistake."
The Israeli military, he said, "used the past year to significantly improve its war readiness on the northern front. The IDF has held several drills, most notably the Northern Corps exercise, held for the first time in 20 years, which included practicing the IDF's operational contingencies on the ground in the northern sector.
"Our intelligence gathering efforts are also ongoing and, as the chief of staff and head of the Military Intelligence have said, if our enemies knew how much we know about them they would remain deterred for years to come. We do not seek war," he stressed, noting, "We ended [2017] better equipped and better prepared for any scenario in the northern sector."
The previous year, Manelis' piece continued, had seen Hezbollah "pursue involvement in wars that do not concern it, which has only increased its list of casualties and the economic crisis plaguing it.
"The past year further proved that Hezbollah serves as an Iran's operational arm of Iran. Wherever there was instability [in the Middle East] Iran's fingerprints and Hezbollah's involvement were evident. Hezbollah sent thousands of fighters to Syria; its advisers intensified the fighting in Yemen; and Nasrallah even boasted sending special anti-tank missiles to the Gaza Strip, saying he had met with officials from terrorist groups there. Billions flow from Tehran through Beirut to anywhere in the Middle East where there is evil and terrorism," he said.
Hezbollah has made no secret of its effort to overrun Lebanon, where it is also part of the government, Manelis said.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun "lends legitimacy to this terrorist group, its prime minister struggles to function given Hezbollah's bullying, and Hezbollah has been able to insert itself into the population and set up terrorist infrastructure and weapon production facilities right under the Lebanese government's nose.
"Along the Israel-Lebanon border, in clear violation of U.N. Resolution 1701, Hezbollah continues to undermine Lebanon's interests. Plainclothes Hezbollah operatives patrol the border and operate from within the civilian population and Hezbollah is actively trying to recruit Lebanese soldiers to do its bidding. The border tour was a brazen way of showing reporters how comfortable Hezbollah feels violating Security Council resolutions.
"Such violations do not threaten Israel," he stressed. "On the contrary – the difference between a violation that culminates in a report to the U.N. and one that results in a security escalation is entirely up to Israel's discretion."
Manelis urged the Lebanese people to "open their eyes" and acknowledge the fact that their county has become the subject of nothing short of a takeover by Iran.
"Perhaps most egregious is what lies beneath the surface," he wrote. "Lebanese authorities' acquiescence and the willingness of many in the international community to turn a blind eye have allowed Iran to turn Lebanon into one big missile factory. This goes beyond weapon shipments, funding or counseling. Iran has set up a new de facto branch, the 'Lebanese branch' right here.
"Ordinary [Lebanese] citizens should not mistake this process as one that can turn Lebanon into a fortress – it is little more than a powder keg on which they are sitting. One in every three or four houses in southern Lebanon is used as a headquarters, a post, a weapons depot or a Hezbollah hideout. We know where these assets are and will know how to surgically strike them if need be.
"The Lebanese people have become a pawn in the hands of the dictator from Tehran, and the heads of villages, towns and government institutions who see this and choose to remain silent are to blame."
Manelis further wrote that as 2018 begins, Israel "saw fit to warn the Lebanese people against allowing Iran to compromise their security and future. This year will see a struggle in terms of how Lebanon shapes its future. This conflict stems from the need to foster stability and economic prosperity, and to promote Lebanese political issues, which clash with Iran and Hezbollah's efforts to impose their hegemony.
"On the one hand, you have the desire to develop the gas sector, which will benefit the economy for the next two decades, boost employment and foreign investments, and increase the country's gross domestic product; while on the other hand, you have the arrival of additional Shiite militias in Lebanon, the lack of economic development, damage to the tourism and banking sectors and the country's international image and, above all, the possibility of serious security escalation.
"This struggle depends on two factors: Will Lebanon and the international community allow Iran and Hezbollah to exploit the innocence of Lebanese leaders and set up a facilities producing precision missiles, as they are currently trying to do; and whether Hezbollah, under the new electoral system, will succeed in pushing the Sunni camp out of the government in the coming elections (set for May 2018), thus officially turning Lebanon into an Iranian protectorate," he warned.
Manelis stressed that the IDF remains "ready for any scenario and plans to further enhance its abilities in the coming year. As we have proven in recent year – and those who need to be the wiser know this – our red lines have been clearly illustrated. We are not impressed by the dismissive attitude Hezbollah's leader shows and the Lebanese people should not be impressed by it, either. The choice is yours," he concluded.
