Israeli airstrikes once again tore through Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday, less than a month after the last raid, with the Israeli military targeting a warehouse in the Hadath–Jamous area that reportedly contained precision-guided missiles belonging to Hezbollah. This latest escalation marks a dangerous turning point, one that resurrects the specter of a broader war at a time when Israel appears more determined than ever to dismantle Hezbollah’s military capabilities, while the group relentlessly presses ahead with rebuilding its arsenal, manpower, and organizational infrastructure.

Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem has made it clear: the group will continue to find ways to secure a steady flow of weapons into Lebanon. It is a declaration that speaks volumes about the party’s priorities and the grave risks it is willing to impose on the communities it claims to protect.

Hezbollah has shown time and again that it cannot survive without weapons, smuggling routes, and the manufactured chaos that places its support base in constant jeopardy. Sunday's strikes triggered widespread panic across the southern suburbs, as terrified residents rushed to evacuate their homes and find safer ground following warnings issued by the Israeli military.

The reality is stark: Hezbollah has never truly deterred its strategic adversaries, but it has perfected the art of provocation and destruction. Those familiar with the group’s ideology and tactics know that its singular focus remains the acquisition of more arms, particularly now, as critical supply lines from Iran through Syria have been severely disrupted. With these arteries cut, Hezbollah can no longer replenish its stockpiles at will. Israeli strikes have increasingly focused on degrading Hezbollah’s strategic reserves within Lebanon, targeting caches of precision missiles, medium-range projectiles, drones, launch platforms, and ammunition depots.

According to security sources who spoke to kataeb.org, Hezbollah continues to operate under a veil of secrecy, skirting the oversight of the Lebanese State and army as it seeks to establish alternative supply routes. However, the group's mission is becoming increasingly perilous. Israel, armed with U.S. political backing, has clearly signaled that it will track down Hezbollah’s arms wherever they are found, and destroy them.

What is now painfully clear is that Hezbollah has no intention of halting its drive to rearm, just as Israel has no intention of tolerating any arrangement that allows the group to retain its weapons. The future, therefore, hinges not merely on Lebanon’s internal dynamics but on the outcome of U.S.-Iranian negotiations currently unfolding in Amman and the broader direction of relations between Washington and Tehran.

Ultimately, the stakes for Hezbollah go far beyond its weapons. The group’s very survival as a political and military actor may soon be on the line. Sooner or later, Hezbollah will have to confront reality. The time for illusions is over. The group will face painful choices, and if it persists in its current course, it may soon find itself regretting the risks it refused to see.

This is an English adaptation of an Arabic article by Chady Hilani.