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Israel planning new war on Lebanon: Report

Sunday, 06 March 2016 7:43 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 06 March 2016 7:43 AM ]

File photo shows Israeli tanks and armored vehicles preparing to take part in ground operations against Palestinian people in the besieged Gaza Strip.

The Israeli regime is seeking to launch a new war on Lebanon in the wake of Saudi Arabia’s recent decision to cut its multi-billion-dollar aid to the Lebanese army, a report says.

The Beirut-based al-Akhbar newspaper said on Saturday that American officials, whose names were not mentioned in the report, have warned Beirut that the Tel Aviv regime is planning to launch another war against the Arab country.

The Americans told the Lebanese “not to give Israel an excuse to start a war,” al-Akhbar said, adding that the US officials had been informed by their Israeli counterparts that the regime is interested in attacking Lebanon, particularly in light of Saudi Arabia’s strategic shift in policy.

Last month, Riyadh said it had suspended USD 3 billion in military assistance to the Lebanese military and another USD 1 billion to the country’s internal security forces.

The aid was cut after Lebanon refrained from endorsing Saudi-crafted statements against Iran at separate meetings held in Cairo and Jeddah.

The move also followed victories by the Syrian army, which is backed by fighters of Lebanon's resistance movement Hezbollah, in its battle against Takfiri terrorists fighting to topple the government in Damascus.

Hezbollah should be pressured not to make any move that would “lead to a replay of the events of 2006,” the newspaper quoted American sources as saying.

According to al-Akhbar, the Saudi decision to suspend military assistance and the consequent move to declare Hezbollah a “terrorist organization” have “whetted Israel’s appetite” for conflict with the resistance movement.

Israel launched two wars on Lebanon in 2000 and 2006. About 1,200 Lebanese, most of them civilians, lost their lives during the 33-day war in the summer of 2006.

This file photo shows Israeli soldiers patrolling near the Lebanon’s border. ©AFP

On both occasions, Hezbollah fighters gave befitting responses to the Tel Aviv regime’s acts of aggression, forcing the Israeli military to retreat without achieving any of its objectives.

The Tel Aviv regime has resorted to an intelligence and psychological campaign against Hezbollah to compensate for its fiascos in the two wars on Lebanon.

In addition, Israel violates Lebanon’s airspace on an almost daily basis by sending spy drones, claiming the flights serve surveillance purposes.

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