US said to warn Israel not to bomb Beirut

IDF pushes north of Lebanon security zone; Netanyahu says Israel seizing ‘strategic positions’

Clashes reported in several towns north of Litani River; IDF says it carried out over 100 strikes in south, east; Lebanese media: 12 killed, including children, in overnight Beqaa strike

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday that Israel is “intensifying operations” in Lebanon by taking strategic positions and reinforcing the security buffer zone as the IDF pushed past the lines it held as it seeks to counter the recent surge in drone attacks by Hezbollah.

The announcement, which the premier made during a full security cabinet session Tuesday evening, came as the Israel Defense Forces confirmed that it has expanded ground operations beyond the designated security zone in parts of southern Lebanon in recent days, in an effort to push Hezbollah operatives farther north and reduce the threat of explosive drone attacks on northern Israeli communities.

It also came as the Israeli Air Force escalated its fire against Hezbollah, carrying out over 100 strikes in the Beqaa Valley in eastern Lebanon and across the country’s south overnight and throughout Tuesday.

“We are intensifying our operations in Lebanon. The IDF is operating with significant forces on the ground and taking control of strategically dominant positions. We are reinforcing the security buffer zone in order to protect the communities of northern Israel,” Netanyahu said in a video released by his office.

“At the same time, we are carrying out a major national effort to advance creative and innovative solutions against explosive drones,” he added, after meeting with Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

A day earlier, Netanyahu ordered the IDF to “intensify blows” against the Iran-backed group amid incessant Hezbollah attacks despite the US-brokered ceasefire that is still officially in place.

Channel 12 reported that Zamir had been pressing forcefully to be allowed to take the fight to Hezbollah. Over the past two days, Katz had pushed his message with Netanyahu, who eventually gave the go-ahead.

Israel had been exercising restraint amid pressure from the US, which is trying to finalize a deal with Iran.

Washington approved Israeli plans to expand fighting against Hezbollah in the coming days, but warned Jerusalem against striking in Beirut amid concerns of hurting US talks with Iran on a deal, multiple Hebrew outlets reported Tuesday evening, citing Israeli officials.

US Ambassador Mike Huckabee updated the White House on Monday night on Israel’s intention to expand operations in Lebanon, and the American message in turn was “not to bring down buildings in Beirut,” according to a Channel 12 report.

A senior Israeli official told the network that “There is approval for targeted assassinations in Beirut if an operational opportunity presents itself.”

Senior Israeli officials similarly acknowledged to Channel 13: “We have freedom of action in southern Lebanon – less so in Beirut. We do not want to be perceived as undermining President Donald Trump’s agreement with Iran.”

However, an Israeli security official was cited by the Kan public broadcaster as saying that if operation plans remain limited to southern Lebanon, the IDF “will hurt Hezbollah – but it will not stop the explosive drones” attacks that were the cause for the planned intensification of fighting.

Kan cited a senior IDF official expressing frustration with the apparent restrictions from Washington, saying: “We need to do much more. Israeli sovereignty is being violated every day. The IDF is exercising significant restraint because we are operating under understandings with the United States and the Lebanese government. We cannot accept the current reality without the ability to respond.”

Beyond the Litani

Regarding the ground advance, IDF officials quoted in Hebrew media said the army has been carrying out “targeted intelligence-based raids” both beyond the forward defensive line and north of the Litani River, focusing on areas where Hezbollah maintains infrastructure and operational footholds.

Troops reportedly clashed with Hezbollah operatives north of the Litani on Tuesday, as the terror group said it targeted Israeli forces advancing toward the southern Lebanese town of Zawtar al-Sharqiya with explosive drones, rockets and artillery.

It also said it launched several rocket, artillery and exploding drone attacks on Israeli troops and vehicles mobilizing along the river toward the Nabatieh village of Yohmor al-Shaqif.

Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV reported battles along the northern bank of the Litani.

Hezbollah has fired thousands of drones and rockets at Israel in recent weeks, escalating its attacks in an apparent bid to derail talks between Jerusalem and Beirut, several rounds of which have been held in Washington.

The group fired several more drones at Israel on Tuesday, with sirens sounding in northern communities along the border with Lebanon. No injuries were reported in the strikes, with the IDF saying the UAVs were all either intercepted or lost contact with surveillance systems, possibly after leaving the monitored areas, or falling.

An IDF official admitted to Channel 12 on Monday that Israel has found itself “defenseless” against the drone threat posed by Hezbollah, with the terror group increasingly deploying first-person view drones guided by fiber-optic cables, which are largely immune to electronic jamming. Israel has resorted to makeshift methods to defend against the surge in drone use, the official added.

In the face of the growing threat, the military believes distancing Hezbollah forces from the border could help reduce the possibility of northern communities being targeted.

IDF steps up strikes; 12 said killed in one Beqaa Valley strike

Meanwhile, Israel’s military said it struck more than 100 Hezbollah sites across southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley area overnight, and dozens more on Tuesday, saying it targeted storage facilities, command centers and observation points used to attack Israeli troops and residents in northern Israel.

In one strike in the Mashghara area of the Beqaa Valley, the military said it targeted infrastructure where Hezbollah operatives had been identified, killing them in a series of strikes carried out within seconds of one another.

The strike killed 12 people, including several members of a family, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said.

In a statement, the Lebanese health ministry said the death toll included “two girls and a woman,” adding that there were “15 wounded, including a child.”

Rescuers were still clearing the rubble in the eastern town, the ministry added.

Early Tuesday afternoon, the army issued an evacuation warning for the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh. Residents of the city were instructed to evacuate north of the nearby Zahrani River.

Hours later, the army also called on the evacuation of residents of Sidon, Burj Qalawiya, Jibshit, Al-Qusaibah, Froun, Aabra, Deir Kifa, Kafr Sir, Srifa, al-Ghandouriyah, an-Naffakhiyah, Qaaqaait al-Jisr and Adshit Al-Shaqif.

“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.

After the warnings, the IDF said it killed several Hezbollah terror operatives and destroyed rocket launch sites belonging to the terror group, as it continued striking Hezbollah infrastructure across Lebanon, publishing footage of strikes targeting Hezbollah sites.

An AFP correspondent in Nabatieh reported airstrikes and saw plumes of smoke rising from various locations within it.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) also reported several Israeli strikes across the south and east.

Beirut, the Lebanese capital, has been spared from strikes since the start of the ceasefire, but Israel’s latest moves have caused fear.

“By just saying a few words on TV, [Netanyahu] causes everyone to panic and flee their homes,” said Tony Aboud in Beirut’s bustling Hamra district of the Israeli premier’s Monday night announcement. “I don’t know what’s going to happen and how long we can live like this.”

Elbit announces work on lasers to combat Hezbollah drones

Meanwhile, Israel’s largest defense contractor, Elbit Systems, announced Tuesday that it is developing hardware to combat Hezbollah’s explosive drones, including through the potential use of laser-based defense systems.

In an interview with Reuters, Elbit CEO Bezhalel Machlis said the defense giant is actively working with the Defense Ministry to develop a quick solution to the drone challenge, which Israel has been struggling to fight.

He said that could involve an “energy weapon solution,” adding that the company is “very active in energy weapons such as lasers.”

“There are other means, which are also relevant to this threat. We are heavily involved in the development of a solution [to] this challenge” of explosive drones, Machlis said after Elbit reported big gains in first-quarter revenue and profit. Its Nasdaq-listed shares rose 8 percent in morning trade.

Machlis said Elbit is seeing rising demand in Europe, the US and the Asia-Pacific, as well as from the United Arab Emirates, which has also come under drone fire from Iran and its proxy forces.

“We are active in this region,” Machlis said of Elbit’s Middle East business. “It is fast-growing.”