Hezbollah Affirms it Has Restored Its Capabilities — Raising the Odds of War Returning to Full Scale

MP Hassan Ezzedine, member of the “Loyalty to the Resistance” bloc, declared that the resistance has neither fallen nor been defeated nor broken, insisting it still possesses “the will and the motive” as well as the just cause to defend land and dignity. He stressed that the points the Israeli enemy still occupies “will be expelled from — sooner or later.”

Speaking at a commemoration held by Hezbollah for the martyrs of the town of Khayyam, Ezzedine emphasised that “the resistance in Lebanon has regained its strength; it remains present and able to face, at any moment, a potential ground offensive by the enemy or attempts to occupy more territory.” He added that the roving killings carried out by the enemy as part of its military and security pressures are nothing more than psychological coercion and economic intimidation intended to keep a state of terror alive. “The destruction of civil infrastructure and facilities will not make us surrender to the will of this enemy,” he said, “and our presence today in Khayyam and other frontline villages is itself a challenge to that enemy. Those tactics will not succeed in breaking our will to endure and remain.”

Hezbollah spares no occasion to assert that it has restored its strength. That public claim — intended to reassure its constituency, rebuild internal cohesion and confidence by showing it remains the strongest guardian — also serves as a warning to Israel. But, as sources told al-Markaziyya, this constant declaration can be a double-edged sword: by openly proclaiming the rebuilding of its capabilities, Hezbollah may be handing Tel Aviv a pretext to resume war against Lebanon. By its own rhetoric, the party appears to announce to Lebanese, Israelis and the world that it has reconstituted its arsenal. Is there a clearer sign that it is violating the 27 October understandings and that the Lebanese state is unable or unwilling to monopolise weapons under state control?

Added to Hezbollah’s statements are reports and investigations in Hebrew and foreign press — most recently in Le Figaro — asserting that the party is indeed rearming. These cumulative indicators, the sources continue, come against a backdrop of warnings by the US special envoy Tom Barrack about the risks of Lebanon hesitating to place arms exclusively under state authority — warnings that could drive Israel to act again to dismantle Hezbollah. Far from reassuring, these signals raise the probability that the war could flare up again at maximum intensity. So the question remains: is avoidance still possible?