Israel threatens to intensify attacks on Hezbollah

Israel has warned of intensifying military operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, a day after the Lebanese health ministry said four people had been killed in Israeli air strikes. Although Israel signed a ceasefire agreement with the Lebanese group in November 2024, it has deployed troops in five areas in southern Lebanon and is carrying out regular attacks.
In a statement on Sunday (November 2), Israeli Defense Minister Katz said that Hezbollah was playing with fire and that the Lebanese president was delaying the matter. The Lebanese government must disarm Hezbollah and remove them from southern Lebanon. The use of maximum force will continue and be intensified – no threat to residents in the north will be tolerated.
An Israeli official said that a recent assessment showed that Hezbollah was regaining its power and had smuggled hundreds of short-range missiles into Lebanon from Syria. He added that Israel had warned Lebanon that if Hezbollah was not disarmed, it could again bomb Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, thousands of residents of the northern part of the Israel-Lebanon border have been forced to flee their homes for months due to Hezbollah rocket attacks. The conflict lasted for more than a year and a ceasefire was agreed in late 2024 after two months of open fighting.
The Iran-backed group, although greatly weakened by the war, remains armed and financially viable. In September last year, Israel killed many of the organization’s top leaders, including Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. Since the ceasefire, the United States has been pressuring the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah, although Hezbollah and its allies oppose the plan.
Latest attacks
Despite the ceasefire, Israel has not stopped airstrikes in Lebanon. The Israeli military claims that the attacks are targeting Hezbollah positions. The attacks have increased in recent days. Last Thursday, Israeli ground forces launched a deadly operation in southern Lebanon, after which Lebanese President Joseph Aoun ordered the army to repel the infiltration.
In mid-October, US President Donald Trump called for talks with Israel when he brokered a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. However, Aoun alleged that Israel had escalated its attacks in response to his offer of talks.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, four people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Nabatieh district of southern Lebanon on Saturday (November 1). Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that Israeli forces fired a “guided missile” at a vehicle. The Israeli military confirmed the attack and said a member of Hezbollah’s Radwan force was among the dead. The military also said the terrorists were involved in transporting weapons and rebuilding Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon. This activity poses a threat to Israel and its citizens and is a violation of the Israel-Lebanon agreement.