1 month ago
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War between Hezbollah and Israel would mean the "end of Lebanon" as division in the country threatens the group's leadership, a former IDF intelligence official tells the Daily Express.
Hezbollah is reeling from a devastating attack that saw 12 people killed and 2,800 people wounded after pagers used by the group exploded on Tuesday.
Explosives were planted in the pagers before they were ordered by Hezbollah from a Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer.
Then, on Wednesday, a further 20 people were killed after their walkie-talkies exploded.
While the attacks injured many Hezbollah operatives, they also killed civilians including healthcare workers and children.
As tensions between Israel and Hezbollah continue to rise, Avi Mejamed, a former Israeli intelligence official, told the Daily Express that a full-blown conflict could be devastating for Lebanon.
He said: "A war with Israel means the end of Lebanon, and what we could see is a violent disintegration of Lebanon.
"The Chstistian-affiliated forces are already threatening to take weapons into their hands because they are fed up with Hezbollah's rule.
"So this is a scenario that Hezbollah and Iran would not like to see. There are many calculations involved in terms of all-out war with Israel.
"One thing I can say about Iran and Hezbollah is that they are very sophisticated and take their time, they calculate their moves. They rarely act spontaneously, and I think we will see the same here."
Mr Mejamed added that Hezbollah has tried to use its hostilities with Israel to unite people in Lebanon behind their cause.
He added: "On the one hand there is a lot of resentment and animosity towards Hezbollah from the Lebanese across the world.
"The Lebanese are crying, saying to the world 'help us, we are occupied by Iranian Hezbollah.'
"But Hezbollah is trying to create a fusion between Hezbollah and the Lebanese people to make them compliant and fine with the fact that the group is in power.
"It will be interesting to see if they can try and turn this recent attack into a cause for national unity."
Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has been exchanging rocket fire with Israel at the border since October 7, when Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and took hostages as part of its terror attack.
More than 40,000 people have died in Gaza since the beginning of Israel's military campaign.
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