Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to prepare a military response plan for Hezbollah's continued rocket fire, with operations inside Beirut as a stated option. The directive follows a cabinet meeting in which multiple ministers expressed that current restrictions on IDF action in Lebanon are untenable. A monitored channel indicates that the new ceasefire framework—which reportedly lapsed because Hezbollah did not move its forces north of the Litani River—gives Israel broader operational latitude than the November 2024 agreement, including the ability to strike emerging threats without prior U.S. approval and over a larger area. Netanyahu told former President Trump that if Hezbollah does not stop attacking Israeli cities and civilians, Israel will strike terror targets in Beirut. However, the same sources report that Netanyahu is aware of Trump's sensitivity to high-visibility airstrikes in the capital, and that a decision to implement the Beirut option has not yet been made.
2 developments
- StrongSenior Israeli security source: 'In Lebanon there is a war, not a ceasefire'
- DevelopingCautious assessment: Recent Lebanon events may push Israel into major campaign against Hezbollah, possibly Iran
- DevelopingIDF launches pilot program in Lebanon after agreement signing, reserve general urges tough stance
- StrongAccording to agreement text, Israel obligated to end war in Lebanon
Source and signal
- Open-source intake