Israel Signals It May Intensify Strikes on Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon

Israel warns it may ramp up operations against Hezbollah

Israel on Sunday signalled it could intensify military operations inside southern Lebanon, accusing the Iran-backed group Hezbollah of rearming and urging Lebanese authorities to implement a pledged disarmament following a November 2024 ceasefire.

Although the truce reduced large-scale fighting, Israel continues to station forces in five locations across southern Lebanon and has carried out regular strikes. Defence Minister Israel Katz warned: "Hezbollah is playing with fire, and the president of Lebanon is dragging his feet." Katz added that "the Lebanese government's commitment to disarm Hezbollah and remove it from southern Lebanon must be implemented. Maximum enforcement will continue and even intensify — we will not allow any threat to the residents of the north."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told cabinet ministers Israel expects Lebanon to honour its pledge but said the country "will exercise our right of self-defence under the terms of the ceasefire." He warned Israel "will not allow Lebanon to become a renewed front against us, and we will act as necessary."

Thousands living near Israel's northern border were forced to evacuate for months after rockets were fired from southern Lebanon following the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. That escalation led to over a year of intermittent fighting and a period of open war before the November 2024 ceasefire.

Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and opposed to Israel, was significantly weakened by the conflict but remains armed and financially resilient. During the war, Israeli forces said they targeted several senior Hezbollah operatives; reports indicated some senior figures were killed, though leadership claims have varied.

Since the ceasefire, Washington has increased pressure on Lebanese authorities to act against Hezbollah's weapons stockpiles — a move opposed by Hezbollah and some of its Lebanese allies. Beirut says it has drafted a plan to establish state monopoly over weapons and that the army has begun steps to implement it in the south.

Israel has continued air strikes in Lebanon despite the truce, saying it targets Hezbollah positions, and has stepped up such operations in recent days. An Israeli ground raid into southern Lebanon last Thursday was reported to have been deadly; Lebanese authorities said it prompted the presidency to order the army to confront such incursions. Subsequent strikes in the Nabatiyeh district killed multiple people, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

The Lebanese National News Agency reported that an Israeli strike hit a car "with a guided missile." The Israeli military confirmed a strike that it said killed a member of Hezbollah's Radwan Force and several other operatives it described as involved in weapons transfers and rebuilding the group's infrastructure in the south.

Hundreds gathered in Nabatiyeh to mourn those killed, scattering flower petals over coffins draped in Hezbollah flags and chanting anti-Israel and anti-American slogans. "This is the price that southern Lebanon pays every day," said Rana Hamed, the mother of one of the men killed. "We have known that Israel has been our enemy for decades."

Reporting compiled from local statements and official military releases.