Tighten the noose

Israel working to "tighten the noose" around Hezbollah, spokesperson says

By Eyad Kourdi and Charlotte Reck

Israel’s military is launching “targeted strikes” deeper into Lebanon, seeking to damage the capabilities of the Iran-backed para-military group Hezbollah, a spokesperson said.

“We are working to tighten the noose around Hezbollah’s capabilities and continue to deepen targeted strikes,” Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ella Waweya said in a post on X on Monday.

She said the historic fortress of Shqif, or Beaufort Castle, which the IDF captured over the weekend, was of “major operational importance” in the campaign to weaken Hezbollah.

“It is considered a key Hezbollah hub,” she said, adding that more than 400 launches are believed to have originated from the southern Lebanon location since the war began.

The update followed the Israeli military’s evacuation order to residents of Dahieh, a southern suburb in the capital of Beirut, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of strikes on the neighborhood if Hezbollah continue to launch rockets into Israel.

Iran has since suspended all peace-focused communication with the United States over Israeli strikes on Lebanon, Iranian media has reported.