Developments on the Israel–Hezbollah front in southern Lebanon are fueling further tensions in Iran–Israel relations. Specifically, while the IDF’s air and ground operations have been focused for weeks on the strategically important Ali Taher mountain range, where Hezbollah is alleged to have built underground command centers and weapons depots, Iranian officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, claim that officials from the Revolutionary Guards are also present in the Lebanese group’s underground facilities.
Iranian threats
According to the same reports, Iran had already conveyed a message to the U.S. in August via the Omani government that if Israel continues its operations aimed at capturing the mountain range, then the Tehran regime would no longer be bound by the provisions of the Islamabad interim agreement —the scope of which, from Iran’s perspective, also includes the Israel-Hezbollah front in Lebanon. Iranian officials point out that, if that does not happen, Iran will launch a broad-scale attack against Israel.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
However, the Israeli side reportedly denies the claim that the Revolutionary Guards are present in the Ali Tahr mountain range and in Hezbollah’s underground facilities, reiterating its own interpretation of the provisions set forth in the Islamabad interim agreement between Iran and the U.S., insisting that the “Lebanese front” is unrelated to what was agreed upon between Washington and Tehran.
Israel releases five Lebanese prisoners
The atmosphere between the Israeli government and the Lebanese government is entirely different. Today, Israel is set to release five Lebanese citizens who have been held by Israeli security forces in recent months.
This development is seen as a confidence-building measure in the context of promoting direct Israel-Lebanon contacts under American guidance and encouragement. The possibility that Lebanese detainees would be released by Israeli security authorities with the involvement of the relevant authorities of the International Red Cross had been reported as a leak by theLebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, and was relayed by Cyprus’s Alpha TV following the conclusion of the recent round of Israel-Lebanon talks in Rome last month —a leak that has been confirmed today.
Lebanon Expresses Gratitude to the U.S.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam publicly thanked the United States government today in a post on the “X” platform, noting that his government’s ultimate goal is the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon.
Israel to Lebanon: “A sign of recognition for Beirut’s sincere efforts”
On the Israeli side, the Prime Minister’s Office stated in an official announcement that the release of the five Lebanese detainees is a sign of recognition of the sincere efforts of the Beirut government tolocate the remains of senior members of the Jewish community in Lebanon, who were reportedly murdered by Lebanese armed groups in the mid-1980s. As for the specific Lebanese citizens who will return to their country, Israeli officials report that, following a series of interrogations, it was determined that they had no ties to terrorist organizations, a finding that led to the decision by Israeli security authorities to release them.
Watch Gabriel Charitou’s segment on ALPHA Cyprus’s main newscast with Dimitra Makrygianni:
