Lebanese residents were seen leaving Beirut’s Dahieh district, Hezbollah’s main stronghold in the capital, Lebanese network LBCI reported Monday night, as Israel threatened to expand strikes against the Iran-backed terrorist group.
The report came after Israeli officials said further action against Hezbollah could include targets that have not been struck in recent weeks, amid fears in Lebanon of renewed Israeli attacks inside Beirut.
Security officials said plans for continued operations in Lebanon focus on two main goals: striking Hezbollah’s drone array, which has become one of the most significant threats to IDF troops and northern Israeli communities, and targeting senior Hezbollah officials whom they described as “sitting immune in Beirut.”
Under ceasefire restrictions and demands from U.S. President Donald Trump, the IDF has not struck Beirut since May 6. In that strike, Israel killed Ahmad Ali Balout, the commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, in the Dahieh district. It, too, followed about a month in which Israel had refrained from attacks there.
As tensions rise in Lebanon, Iran is signaling that any negotiations with Washington must include an end to the war in Lebanon. Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said there was “no point” in discussing understandings or negotiations with the United States unless five confidence-building measures are implemented.
Azizi said the first step required of Washington is ending the war on all fronts, “especially in Lebanon.” The second is removing the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and stopping what he called “American maritime piracy,” and the third is allowing civilian ships through the critical waterway under Iranian arrangements. The other two steps, he said, are suspending oil sanctions for 30 or 60 days and releasing frozen Iranian funds.
A diplomat familiar with the matter told Fox News that intensive talks have been taking place in Doha, Qatar, since Monday morning U.S. time on the details of an agreement to end the war with Iran, and that the talks were ongoing. Reports said the contacts focus on stabilizing the ceasefire, resolving the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz and laying the foundation for broader understandings between Washington and Tehran.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that enriched uranium would be transferred immediately to the United States “to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location,” with the Atomic Energy Commission or its equivalent witnessing the process.
Heavy Israeli airstrikes in the village of As-Sultaniyeh in southern Lebanon
A senior U.S. official told Al Jazeera that Israel’s hands would not be tied. “Hezbollah has ignored repeated calls for a ceasefire with Israel, including the latest ultimatum,” the official said. “Israel will respond to attacks directed against its forces and civilians. This is not the Biden administration. Hezbollah has launched 1,000 drones and 700 rockets since April 17 to disrupt negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.”
The official said Hezbollah bears full responsibility for the current escalation because it has violated the ceasefire since early March.
“Hezbollah seeks to deny the Lebanese people the opportunity to achieve peace and reconstruction,” the official said. “The idea of direct negotiations, which could include significant U.S. support, represents an existential threat to Hezbollah.”
After a day of Hezbollah drone attacks on northern Israeli communities, local leaders along the confrontation line held an urgent meeting with IDF Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo. They demanded answers on security measures and the continuation of the campaign amid the escalation and growing danger to residents along the Lebanese border. “The war will intensify tonight. Stay alert,” one participant said after the meeting.
The IDF is increasing pressure on the political leadership for approval to act more forcefully in Lebanon. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir reportedly told the Cabinet that to confront the drone threat, Israel must “strike buildings in Beirut and Tyre to create deterrence.”
A senior Israeli official said Monday night that “it was decided to act more broadly in Lebanon in response to the drones.”
The IDF said it struck 70 Hezbollah infrastructure sites during the day, including 10 command centers and weapons depots. Some of the strikes were carried out near Tyre, but targets in Beirut were not hit.
Military officials are pushing for strikes in Beirut and other areas deep inside Lebanon using the air force, in part because a window of opportunity could close if another campaign against Iran begins, diverting the air force and military intelligence. Plans are on the table, but officials say time is running out and they must be carried out soon.
The IDF says Hezbollah is benefiting from a war confined to southern Lebanon while its operatives manage the campaign from Beirut. Meanwhile, IDF activity in villages along the so-called “yellow line” ceasefire demarcation is damaging Hezbollah’s legitimacy, officials said.
Northern Command is working to clear the area and is carrying out operations to deepen control through observation and fire over parts of southern Lebanon and beyond. Troops are clearing underground and aboveground infrastructure while constantly contending with the drone threat.
The greatest danger is to heavy equipment brought into the area to clear infrastructure, demolish buildings, move along roads or rescue stuck vehicles. In those moments, Israeli forces become easy targets for Hezbollah drone operators.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video Monday addressing the situation in the north. “We are at war with Hezbollah,” he said. “In recent weeks alone, our heroic fighters have eliminated more than 600 terrorists, and we are not taking our foot off the gas. On the contrary, we will hit them. They are firing drones at us. We have a special team working on this, and we will solve that too.”
Addressing northern residents, Netanyahu said, “You are showing resilience that inspires us all. We will increase the intensity and strike them decisively.”