Beirut fears Hamas will attack Israel from southern Lebanon – report

Hezbollah must intervene to prevent a Hamas attack against Israel launched from Lebanon’s southern border, as the Israeli response could further devastate Lebanon, security officials warn.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Lebanese officials are asking Hezbollah to ensure that the Hamas terror group will not attack Israel’s northern border from Lebanese territory, fearing Israeli retaliation.

Lebanon is worried about a potential clash with Israel that could further devastate the already embattled country, which has undergone an unprecedented economic meltdown and political crisis, and is still struggling to recover from the massive 2020 Beirut port explosion.

According to a report from the Beirut Observer, several members of Hamas ⁠— which is primarily based in Gaza, but has operatives around the world, including in southern Lebanon ⁠— are planning to launch an offensive against Israel from Lebanon.

The report, which credited a senior Lebanese security official as its source, said that Lebanon’s security agencies had provided Hezbollah with the names of the men who are plotting to attack Israel.

The men, identified as Samir Fendi, Hassan Farhat, Nadim Dawabsheh, and Ahmed Hamdan Abdullah, are all Palestinians, active Hamas operatives, and located in southern Lebanon.

Lebanese security officials are concerned about Hezbollah’s failure to intervene “because any operation against Israel at this particular time will endanger Lebanon and add a new tragedy to its tragedies.”

Notably, the outlet acknowledged that the Lebanese government and army are essentially powerless in the country’s southern region, and that Hezbollah is the de facto military and governing body in the area.

“Hezbollah completely controls southern Lebanon, and disregards UNIFIL, therefore, no one will be able to do anything without its approval, and if [it] agrees to this Hamas cell to carry out operations, then it is very dangerous for Lebanon,” the Beirut Observer reported.

During the May 2021 Israel-Gaza clash Operation Guardian of the Walls, sirens sounded in Israel’s north after rockets were launched from southern Lebanon.

The Hezbollah terror group immediately distanced itself from the launch, and it’s widely believed that local Palestinian terror groups were behind the attack.