Israel threatens Beirut invasion if Hezbollah doesn't disarm, report says
U.S. Ambassador Michel Issa warned Deputy Head of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib last month that Israel would launch a full-scale military invasion reaching as far as Beirut, if Hezbollah does not hand over its weapons, al-Modon newspaper reported.
The daily said Thursday that Israel has delivered many messages, directly and indirectly to Lebanon, demanding a full disarmament of the Iran-backed group, including in Jabal al-Rihan and Iqlim al-Tuffah.
"Israel is demanding that the Lebanese Army deploy in Jabal Al-Rihan and Iqlim Al-Tuffah to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure there, warning against a repetition of the Ali al-Taher scenario," al-Modon said.
Diplomatic sources told the daily that Tel Aviv has gone so far as to demand a list of the names of all officers and personnel scheduled to deploy into trial zones and wants direct military coordination with the Lebanese Army.
Israel stipulates that no personnel in the pilot zones be affiliated with Hezbollah or even belong to the Shiite community — a condition the Lebanese Army has firmly rejected, the daily said.
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