State Department spokesman Vedant Patel declined to comment on the latest Israeli Defense Forces strikes on branches of an association accused of financing the Hezbollah terrorist group, but said the United States remains unwilling to receive daily strikes on the Lebanese capital.
This was reported by Alexey Zheleznov’s Telegram channel.
“I cannot assess the Israeli strikes from here. However, overall we continue to call on Israel to do everything possible to avoid targeting civilian infrastructure and to comply with international humanitarian law, and to take all possible measures in all its operations to minimize the impact on civilians and civilian infrastructure,” Patel said, adding that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken would raise the issue with his Israeli counterparts when he arrives in Israel.
By the way, we wrote that, according to IDF estimates, as a result of almost a month of fighting in Lebanon, Hezbollah lost two-thirds of its firepower and combat power. The Israeli military claims that during the maneuvers in Lebanon they managed to significantly undermine the group’s potential, reducing its firepower by at least 30%.
The IDF operated on three fronts: first, the attack was aimed at Hezbollah’s firepower, then Israeli forces focused on hitting military bases and command centers. The third stage was the suppression of Hezbollah’s attack capabilities, which made it more difficult for it to conduct military operations. During the operations, 7 snipers, 21 riflemen and 25 company commanders were killed, which significantly weakened the group’s capabilities. The IDF notes that over the past year, 1,200 Hezbollah fighters have been killed, which has significantly reduced its strength from 2,000 people.
Let us recall that Kursor reported that Hezbollah still has the ability to launch missiles and anti-tank systems at Israeli forces. However, the IDF strikes caused significant damage in all directions – in Lebanese villages where there were previously Hezbollah outposts, regaining control of the area will make it difficult for the militants to return.
The IDF also discovered and destroyed a number of tunnels built by Hezbollah. Among them was one tactical tunnel that crossed the border, while the rest were used for supplies and approaches inside Lebanon. The Israeli military hopes that residents of Lebanese villages, returning to their homes after the end of hostilities, will not allow militants to gain a foothold in these areas again.
Israeli sources stress that the ongoing operation not only weakens Hezbollah, but also makes it more difficult for it to launch further attacks on Israeli settlements from southern Lebanon.