NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
As Hezbollah rebuilds its forces and Lebanon is accused of failing to enforce the ceasefire terms brokered last year, Israel’s defense minister has fired off a warning to Beirut.
On Sunday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said, “Hezbollah is playing with fire, and the president of Lebanon is dragging his feet,” he said. “The Lebanese government’s commitment to dismantle Hezbollah’s weapons and remove it from southern Lebanon must be realized. Enforcement will continue and deepen — we will not allow a threat to the residents of the north.”
His warning comes as Fox News Digital has learned that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is weighing broader operations against the Iran-backed terrorist group after repeated violations of the truce.
A senior IDF officer stationed on the northern border told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that Hezbollah remains fully armed and funded by Iran.
TRUMP ADMIN PRESSURES LEBANON TO DISARM HEZBOLLAH AS ENVOY CALLS NATION ‘FAILED STATE’
“Hezbollah didn’t give up their heavy weapons,” the officer said. “They’re still trained, still financed by Iran, and still trying to re-establish their positions. Our job is to make sure they don’t succeed.”
On Monday, the IDF confirmed it had killed two Hezbollah commanders in southern Lebanon. Muhammad Ali Hadid, a senior member of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, was eliminated in Nabatieh, while another operative was struck in Ayta ash Shab after being seen collecting intelligence on Israeli positions.
“The terrorists’ activities violated the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF said in a statement. “The IDF will continue to operate to remove any threat to the State of Israel.”
The senior officer said the operations reflect Israel’s new, proactive security doctrine. “If somebody threatens us, we take control of the situation and make the threat go away,” he said. “We pushed Hezbollah back, so civilians could return. Now we’re fortifying those gains and acting to prevent their recovery.”
That, he added, is the lesson Israel learned from Oct. 7. “Until then, we sometimes looked the other way. That’s over. We’re not sitting and waiting for the next rocket.”
The officer said the IDF’s 91st Division recently completed its largest exercise since the start of the war, designed to strengthen operational readiness for both defense and offensive operations along the Lebanese border — at sea, in the air, and on land.
“We tested our defensive systems, coordination, and rapid-response capabilities,” he said. “We’re applying every lesson from Oct. 7 so our response next time will be immediate.”
According to Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, intelligence officials believe Hezbollah is rapidly rebuilding its arsenal with Iranian assistance. The group has partially restored its weapons supply chain through Syria and Iraq, despite disruptions following the collapse of the Assad regime last year.
The Trump administration has also expressed frustration over Beirut’s failure to curb Hezbollah. U.S. Special Envoy Thomas Barrack recently described Lebanon as “a failed state” because of its “paralyzed government,” and that Hezbollah pays its fighters more than the national army soldiers earns.
EXCLUSIVE: A LOOK AT HEZBOLLAH’S PLAN TO TERRORIZE AND INVADE NORTHERN ISRAEL
Responding to Israel’s preemptive strikes last week, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi urged his visiting German counterpart on Friday to “help pressure Israel to halt its attacks.”
“Only a diplomatic solution, not a military one, can ensure stability and maintain calm in the south,” Raggi said, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).
He added that the Lebanese government “is gradually moving forward with its decision to bring all weapons under state control.”
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Thursday voiced “deep concerns”, urging all parties “to fully commit to the cessation of hostilities.”
UNIFIL added that it remains in contact with the Lebanese Armed Forces and emphasized that extending state authority “is at the very core of Resolution 1701.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Despite diplomatic criticism, Israeli commanders insist they will not allow Hezbollah to rebuild.
“We won’t wait for another Oct. 7,” the Israeli officer said. “We’re vigilant, we’re rebuilding, and we’re ready. The quiet we have now depends on Hezbollah’s choices — not on our willingness to defend ourselves.”
Read the full article here
