Why has Lebanon kept quiet about recent Israeli incursions across its southern border?

Question

The IDF recently announced that it had been carrying out cross border operations for the last few months accompanied by the release of footage of tunnels and supply bunkers being blown up. This was news to anyone who relies on western new agencies to keep up-to-date.

Why has Lebanon / Hezbollah not being publicizing these raids? In most modern conflicts, the belligerents like to emphasise enemy attacks to help justify their own actions as defensive or retaliatory. So why haven't the Lebanese authorities been hyping-up these incidents?

I can understand the IDF keeping quiet, by why the other side? Could it be that the operations were too small for the Lebanese government to notice? Or too trivial to bother about? Or maybe too embarrassing to mention if the IDF was doing this routinely and getting away with it?

Update for those voting to close. I am not referring to the 'official' ground operating starting 1st and 2nd of October. I'm talking about the last 3 months of covert IDF operations that they have only just revealed to have been going on since August.

Answer 1

Additionally, the ground incursions were a drop in the bucket, compared to the Israeli air incursions. Lebanon's government did protests those somewhat, as they were more visible, e.g. back in October 2023:

Israeli air raids hit a house in the southern village of Alma Shaab on Monday, according to Lebanese daily L’Orient Today. And Hezbollah announced the death of one of its fighters, its 49th casualty since October 7. [...]

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati told Sky News Arabia on Monday that he was demanding an end to “Israeli provocations” that might spiral into a regional war.

“The Lebanese people do not want war,” Mikati said. He did, however, add that he has “coordinated with international organisations to put in place an [emergency] plan in case war breaks out”.

There were probably more of those statements, but what Lebanon's government says generally receives little attention in Western media, as they are a small player in this affair.

The Lebanon's PM words sharpened in Sep 2024:

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, condemned what he described as a "destructive plan" of the Israeli entity which has been waging violent air raids on the south and east of Lebanon.

He stressed that the continued Israeli aggression on Lebanon is a war of extermination in every sense, and a plan aimed at destroying Lebanese villages and towns and eliminating all green spaces.

Answer 2

Lebanon's government and Hezbollah are distinct entities.

• Lebanese troops pull back from border as Israeli ground invasion looms

• Lebanon's government urges international community for support amid Israel’s invasion

From these reports, it appears that Lebanon's government lacks both the military capability and the political will to defend its borders effectively. Consequently, they seem to be adopting a passive stance for several reasons:

1. Delegation to Hezbollah: The government may be quietly shifting the burden of border defense to Hezbollah, possibly feeling content with Hezbollah's capabilities as a deterrent.

2. Avoiding Pressure from the USA: If the Lebanese government were to assert itself more aggressively, it might invite pressure from the United States to dismantle Hezbollah as a non-state actor, which would be a significant loss for Lebanon's current power balance.

3. Lack of Regional Backers: Lebanon currently lacks significant backing in the region. Although Turkey's Erdogan recently declared support for Lebanon, his statement appears to be "all talk, no action," with no tangible support on the ground.

These factors suggest Lebanon is strategically opting for silence and reliance on Hezbollah to manage the ongoing crisis.