IDF to introduce early warnings for Lebanon rocket attacks

Hezbollah drone hits Metula home amid wave of attacks, nobody hurt; ministers urge escalation

IDF warns residents of 10 south Lebanon towns to leave ahead of strikes on terror group; Ben Gvir, Smotrich demand major attacks, as Aoun calls Israeli withdrawal ‘non-negotiable’

An explosive drone launched by Hezbollah impacted in the northern border community of Metula on Monday, striking a resident’s home but causing no injuries.

The incident prompted far-right ministers to demand ramped-up fighting in Lebanon, ahead of a potential Iran-US deal that could curb Israeli action against the terror group.

According to Hebrew media reports, the drone exploded on the roof of a home in the community, but no one was hurt.

The incident came amid a series of drone infiltrations throughout the day, which set off sirens in communities along the Israel-Lebanon border. No injuries were reported in any of the incidents.

After sirens sounded in the community of Arab al-Aramshe, the IDF said that a “suspicious aerial target” was identified but that contact with it was later lost, suggesting a drone was spotted but then left the monitored area, or it fell.

A few hours later, sirens again sounded in a raft of border towns, warning of another suspected drone infiltration. Shortly thereafter, in an apparent explanation of the sirens, the IDF said a drone had hit in an area where troops were operating in southern Lebanon.

In the wake of the Metula impact, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must “inform” US President Donald Trump that the war in Lebanon is being restarted.

“We must not normalize the reality of explosive drones. The time has come for the prime minister to bang on Trump’s desk and inform him that we are returning to war in Lebanon,” Ben Gvir declared in a statement, days ahead of a planned round of Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington.

“We must cut off the electricity in Lebanon, conquer the Zahrani, and return to high-intensity warfare,” he added, referencing a river north of the Litani River, indicating a wish to expand the area held by the IDF.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for strikes on Beirut in a separate statement that also announced his approval of an NIS 2 billion ($692.8 million) budget for “technological solutions to the drone threat.”

“A strategic threat is not met with defense alone; for every explosive drone, ten buildings in Beirut need to fall,” Smotrich declared.

The bellicose statements came a day after one Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed, and another seriously wounded, by an explosive drone, in addition to other fatalities in recent weeks as the army struggles to counter the UAV threat.

They also came amid concern in Israel that an emerging deal to end the US-Iran war will include a clause declaring an end to the fighting in Lebanon.

Jerusalem, which launched the war in Iran together with the US, has been almost entirely locked out of the negotiations between Washington and Tehran, according to reports.

Separately, Lebanon and Israel began landmark US-brokered talks last month and are preparing for a fourth round in early June, preceded by a meeting between military delegations at the Pentagon on May 29.

Looking ahead to those talks, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said Monday that Israel’s withdrawal from his country’s south was a “non-negotiable” demand that authorities would pursue through negotiations.

In a statement commemorating Israel’s previous withdrawal from south Lebanon in 2000, Aoun said that “this year, the anniversary of the liberation comes as Lebanon is weighed down by a painful reality.”

“Israeli attacks have not stopped and our dear southern villages are still suffering under a renewed occupation,” he said. “Lebanon will not accept this reality.”

“The path to a full Israeli withdrawal will remain a non-negotiable, constant national demand that the Lebanese state works to achieve through the option of negotiations,” Aoun said.

Israeli officials, however, have said troops will remain in southern Lebanon until the threat of Hezbollah is removed.

Additionally, the IDF issued evacuation warnings on Monday for ten villages and towns in southern Lebanon ahead of airstrikes on Hezbollah targets.

Residents of Nabatiyeh at-Tahta, Al-Lwaiza, Sajd, Ain Qana, Harouf, Zibdin, Kfar Reman, Doueir, Adshit Al-Shaqif and Meidoun were instructed to evacuate at least a kilometer (0.6 miles) away.

“In light of the Hezbollah terror organization’s violations of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is forced to act against it with force and does not intend to harm you,” warned army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee.

Adraee later issued an additional evacuation warning for the southern Lebanese city of Tyre and surrounding areas ahead of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.

“We call on residents whose buildings will be marked in red on the known maps, which will be published later, to immediately evacuate their homes for their own safety, as the IDF does not intend to harm them,” he warned.

On the home front, the IDF confirmed reports that it was preparing to begin issuing advance alerts ahead of incoming rocket fire from Hezbollah, though the early alerts would not apply to drone attacks.

In a statement, the military said the Home Front Command had recently been working to implement the broadcast of early warnings for rocket launches from Lebanon “in order to provide the public with additional preparation time wherever possible,” adding that the move was intended “to save lives.”

“Once the process is completed, the public will be updated through the official platforms of the Home Front Command and the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit,” the statement read.

Channel 12 reported on Sunday that the new warning system was expected to go into effect in the coming days and would provide civilians with additional time to prepare before sirens sound, ranging from a few extra seconds in northern border communities to as much as two minutes in more distant areas of the country.