The move to target Hezbollah could further complicate indirect peace talks between the US and Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to intensify strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon to deliver what he described as a decisive blow to the armed group.
The escalation could further complicate indirect talks between the US and Iran, as Tehran has stated that the Israeli military must end its operation against Hezbollah in order for a ceasefire with Washington to be extended. US President Donald Trump previously said Israel should only take “surgical” military action in Lebanon.
In a video message on Monday, Netanyahu insisted that Israel is “at war with Hezbollah” and that the country’s authorities “are not taking our foot off the gas.”
“On the contrary, I have instructed them [the IDF] to press the pedal even harder,” he said.
Hezbollah is “attacking us with drones… but what this requires of us now is to intensify the blows, increase the force,” Netanyahu stressed.
Shortly afterward, the Israeli military announced more strikes against Hezbollah targets in the Beqaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, as well as other parts of the country.
Netanyahu’s order came despite the ongoing ceasefire between the Jewish state and the Lebanese government in Beirut, which was agreed in mid-April after more than a month of fighting and was extended earlier in May.
The truce reduced the intensity of hostilities but did not stop them completely, with Israel continuing its bombardment of Lebanese territory and Hezbollah responding with UAV attacks.
Earlier on Monday, one IDF soldier was killed and another seriously wounded by a drone in southern Lebanon.
The development prompted far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to state that “it’s time for the prime minister to bang on Trump’s table and inform him that we are returning to war in Lebanon.” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich insisted that for every drone fired by Hezbollah “ten buildings must fall in Beirut.”
Axios reporter Barak Ravid said on X on Monday that an unnamed US official had indicated that the Trump administration could support intensified Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
“Hezbollah has ignored repeated requests to stop firing… Israel will never be expected to passively absorb attacks on its forces and civilians. This is not the Biden administration,” the official said.
According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, at least 3,185 people have been killed in the country after Israel launched its military operation against Hezbollah in early March, just days after the US-Israeli attack on Iran.
