Israel issued a stern warning to Lebanon on Tuesday, declaring that it would no longer differentiate between Hezbollah and the Lebanese state if the fragile ceasefire with the terrorist group collapses.
“Lebanon will no longer be exempt,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated, emphasizing that Israel would respond decisively with “zero tolerance.”
Katz demanded that Beirut empower the Lebanese army to enforce their commitment to keep Hezbollah away from the area south of the Litani River and dismantle all related infrastructure, referencing one of the thirteen points in Wednesday’s ceasefire agreement.
He added that if Lebanon fails to comply and the agreement unravels, Israel’s response would be forceful and far-reaching, with no exemption for the Lebanese state. Previously, Israel had differentiated between the Lebanese state and Hezbollah, even between Beirut and the Dahiyeh suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold, but that distinction would cease to exist.
The minister’s comments followed Israeli airstrikes on Monday evening in response to Hezbollah launching two mortars at the Mount Dov area in the northern Golan Heights—a region Israel has occupied since 1967, and which the U.S. recognizes as Israeli territory.
The Trump administration recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights in 2019, a policy maintained by the Biden administration, even after a deadly Hezbollah rocket attack in the summer that killed twelve children.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the initial strike, which violated the ceasefire signed less than a week prior, according to the Times of Israel.
The U.S. and France, key brokers of the truce, conducted surveillance drone flights over Beirut on Sunday and Monday to monitor compliance with the agreement.
Despite the retaliatory strikes that cast doubt on the ceasefire’s strength, White House National Security Council communications adviser John Kirby described the “sporadic” air strikes as “expected,” given the long-standing conflict.
“We’ve gone from hundreds of rocket attacks to basically zero by Hezbollah and dozens of airstrikes by Israel to one or two per day,” he noted, highlighting the significant reduction in violence.
Kirby confirmed the existence of mechanisms designed to prevent such strikes and asserted that these mechanisms were actively working to de-escalate the situation.