As Hezbollah rebuilds its forces and Lebanon is accused of failing to uphold ceasefire terms agreed last year, Israel’s Defense Minister has fired off a warning to Beirut.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday: “Hezbollah is playing with fire, and the president of Lebanon is dragging its feet,” he said. “The Lebanese government’s commitment to dismantle Hezbollah’s weapons and remove them from southern Lebanon must be realized. Enforcement will continue and deepen – we will not allow any threat to the residents of the north.”
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Israeli soldiers take part in an IDF exercise in October 2025 to increase operational readiness along the border with Lebanon. (IDF)
“Hezbollah has not given up its heavy weapons,” the officer said. “They are still being trained, still being funded by Iran and still trying to reestablish their positions. Our job is to make sure they don’t succeed.”
On Monday, the IDF confirmed it had killed two Hezbollah commanders in southern Lebanon. Muhammad Ali Hadid, a senior member of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, was eliminated in Nabatieh, while another operative was attacked in Ayta ash Shab after he was seen gathering intelligence on Israeli positions.
“The terrorists’ activities violated the agreements between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF said in a statement. “The IDF will continue to act to eliminate any threat to the State of Israel.”
The senior officer said the operations reflect Israel’s new proactive security doctrine. “If anyone threatens us, we will take control of the situation and ensure that the threat disappears,” he said. “We pushed back Hezbollah so civilians could return. Now we are strengthening those gains and taking action to prevent their recovery.”
That, he added, is the lesson Israel learned from October 7. “Until then, we sometimes looked the other way. That is over. We are not waiting for the next rocket.”
A flag bearing the image of slain pro-Iranian Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah flies in front of a photo of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during a ceremony marking the first anniversary of Nasrallah’s assassination in an Israeli airstrike on his grave in Beirut. Beirut, Lebanon, September 27, 2025. (Marwan Naamani/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)
The officer said the IDF’s 91st Division recently completed its largest exercise since the start of the war, aimed at strengthening operational readiness for both defensive and offensive operations along the Lebanese border – at sea, in the air and on land.
“We tested our defense systems, coordination and rapid response capabilities,” he said. “We will apply every lesson from October 7, so our response will be immediate next time.”
Israeli soldiers take part in an IDF exercise in October 2025 to improve operational readiness along the border with Lebanon (IDF)
According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, intelligence officials believe Hezbollah is quickly rebuilding its arsenal with Iranian help. The group has partially restored its arms supply chain through Syria and Iraq, despite disruptions following the collapse of the Assad regime last year.
The Trump administration has also expressed frustration with Beirut’s inability to curb Hezbollah. US Special Envoy Thomas Barrack recently described Lebanon as “a failed state” because of its “paralyzed government,” and that Hezbollah pays its fighters more than the national army’s soldiers earn.
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Commuters drive past a newly installed billboard with the image of a Lebanese flag and a statement reading “Lebanon a new era”, replacing a Hezbollah billboard, on the road leading to Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut on April 10, 2025. (Photo by Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images)
Responding to Israel’s pre-emptive strikes last week, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi urged his visiting German counterpart on Friday to “pressure Israel to stop its attacks.”
“Only a diplomatic solution, and not a military one, can guarantee stability and preserve peace in the south,” Raggi said, according to the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA).
He added that the Lebanese government is “gradually moving forward with its decision to bring all weapons under state control.”
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) expressed “deep concerns” on Thursday and urged all parties to “fully commit to the cessation of hostilities.”
UNIFIL added that it remains in contact with the Lebanese Armed Forces and stressed that expanding state authority “is at the heart of Resolution 1701.”
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IDF forces battle Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon. (IDF Spokespersons Unit.)
Despite diplomatic criticism, Israeli commanders continue to insist that they will not allow Hezbollah to rebuild.
“We will not wait for another October 7,” the Israeli officer said. “We are vigilant, we are rebuilding and we are ready. The peace we have now depends on Hezbollah’s choices – not on our willingness to defend ourselves.”
