Israel is weighing a large-scale military operation in Lebanon amid claims of Hezbollah’s reorganization, continued ceasefire violations, and confirmed incidents of Israeli fire near UN peacekeepers.
Israeli media reported on Friday that the government in Tel Aviv is actively considering launching a broader military operation in Lebanon, citing what it described as a renewed “Hezbollah threat” following the ceasefire period.
According to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, discussions have moved beyond reliance on airstrikes, with ground or large-scale operations now under serious consideration by senior decision-makers.
Two sources familiar with the discussions said the issue was raised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his recent meeting with US President Donald Trump in Florida.
While Netanyahu reportedly pushed for expanded military action, the US administration requested a delay, urging more time for political engagement with the Lebanese government in an effort to prevent a wider regional escalation.
Israel Conducts Multiple Airstrikes across South Lebanon Violating Ceasefire
Israeli officials claim that Hezbollah has reorganized its ranks and restored parts of its military capability during the relative calm, while also asserting that the Lebanese state lacks the ability—or willingness—to curb the group’s activities.
Since the ceasefire came into effect in late November 2024, Tel Aviv and Washington have continued to pressure Beirut to restrict weapons exclusively to state institutions, a demand Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected while insisting on Israel’s withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory.
Israeli newspaper Maariv reported earlier this week that the Israeli army has completed preparations for a potential escalation in Lebanon as deadlines linked to Hezbollah’s disarmament approach the end of 2025. According to its military analyst, Israel’s security establishment is preparing to present a range of operational options to political leaders, while attempting—at least formally—to avoid declaring the collapse of the ceasefire agreement.
Despite these claims, Israel has continued near-daily attacks across southern Lebanon since the truce began. During its aggression against Lebanon, which escalated into full-scale war in September 2024, Israel killed more than 4,000 people and injured approximately 17,000 others. According to UN figures, Israel has violated the ceasefire more than 10,000 times, including continued occupation of five strategic Lebanese hills seized during the last war, as well as territories occupied for decades.
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UNIFIL under Attack
Against this backdrop, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) confirmed on Friday that Israeli occupation forces opened fire near UN peacekeepers during patrols in southern Lebanon, marking a clear violation of international agreements and UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
In an official statement, UNIFIL reported that two separate patrols near the town of Kfar Chouba came under fire within a short span of time. In the first incident, peacekeepers reported fifteen rounds of small-arms fire landing within approximately 50 metres of their position. Less than twenty minutes later, a second patrol in the same area was targeted by around 100 rounds of machine-gun fire at a similar distance.
UNIFIL assessed that the gunfire in both cases originated from an Israeli military position south of the Blue Line, the UN-demarcated boundary between Lebanon and occupied Palestine. The mission said Israeli authorities had been pre-informed of the patrol routes, following standard coordination procedures, and that a “stop fire” request was immediately transmitted through liaison channels.
The UN force stressed that any attack on or near peacekeepers constitutes a breach of Resolution 1701. Friday’s incidents, it noted, fit a broader pattern of Israeli fire and intimidation targeting UN personnel.
Since early 2025, UNIFIL has documented multiple cases involving Israeli tanks, drones, and heavy machine-gun fire landing dangerously close to peacekeepers, including drone-dropped grenades and the destruction of Blue Line markers and Lebanese army observation posts.
(PC, AJA, Anadolu, Al Mayadeen)
Yes, good! spread yourself too thin, expose your underbelly, and then you will be defeated. No one will miss you.