Hezbollah controls Lebanese army: Israel’s Lieberman

By Kaamil Ahmed

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel's defense minister has claimed that the Lebanese army is now “completely controlled” by Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia, which is known for its close links to Iran.

Speaking Tuesday at Defense Ministry headquarters, Avigdor Lieberman said Lebanon’s armed forces had become an “integral part” of Hezbollah, the Shia militant group with which Israel fought a devastating war in 2006.

The Lebanese army had lost its independence from Hezbollah, Lieberman claimed, adding that any future conflict with the militant group would also likely involve fighting in Syria, where for the last four years Hezbollah has fought alongside the Assad regime.

Israeli political and military leaders have repeatedly said that any future conflict with Hezbollah would be more destructive than the 2006 war, in which almost 1,200 Lebanese civilians were killed.

In recent months, Israel is believed to have carried out a number of airstrikes in Syria targeting convoys suspected of transporting arms to Hezbollah.