Lebanese media reports that Hezbollah completely evacuated its headquarters in the Beirut suburb of Dahieh in recent days.
Earlier this month, following the assassination of Hezbollah’s top military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, it was reported that the group was moving its senior staff out of its Beirut stronghold in anticipation of potential Israeli strikes.
Now, however, the Lebanese news outlet Al Joumhouria is reporting that Hezbollah has moved its entire operation out of Beirut, including its political wing.
The move comes as Hezbollah threatens to make Israel pay for Shukr’s killing and, according to the report, indicates it is “preparing for the worst” in terms of Israel’s response to a possible attack.
Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in a low-intensity conflict since October, with frequent exchanges of fire. Hezbollah has repeatedly boasted of hitting important Israeli military installations.
Hezbollah is considered the strongest paramilitary formation in the world, and it has hundreds of thousands of ballistic and other missiles and drones in its arsenal.