‘Either no drones or no Hezbollah’: Israel’s DM Katz escalates threats as Lebanon front heats up again

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz escalated his threats to Lebanon on Sunday, after Hezbollah tried to launch several drones these last days, and the IDF responded with strikes deep within Lebanon.

During a visit to some of the remaining IDF positions in southern Lebanon, Katz declared: “I want to send a clear message from here to Hezbollah and the Lebanese government: Israel will not accept the launching of drones from Lebanon.”

Last Thursday, the IDF intercepted a Hezbollah reconnaissance drone for the first time since the war began. The next day, the IDF shot down another “suspicious aerial target” near Zar’it in the Upper Galilee.

“We will not allow a return to the situation of October 7. We will thwart threats and respond with full force. Either there will be no drones or there will be no Hezbollah,” Katz warned.

“I suggest that the successor of Nasrallah’s successor not make a mistake about Israel’s determination as his predecessors did - lest he pay a very heavy price.”

Within the span of a week at the end of September and the start of October 2024, Israel eliminated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and his successor Hashem Safi al-Din. Hezbollah announced Sunday that Nasrallah would be buried on Feb. 23.

Katz said that his visit to southern Lebanon was intended to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire arrangement. The original agreement envisioned the withdrawal of Israeli forces to be completed by Jan. 26.

However, the U.S. announced the deadline would be extended until Feb. 18, after Israel announced it would not complete the pull-out due to the slow deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces, and continued violations by Hezbollah.

Last Wednesday, the Israeli Air Force struck an engineering vehicle in southern Lebanon that “was used for attempts to restore terrorist infrastructure.”

Following the two drone interceptions, the IDF announced Friday morning it had struck several Hezbollah targets in the Bekaa Valley, an area seen as one of Hezbollah’s main strongholds that is located deep within the country, and was attacked repeatedly by Israel during the war.

“Among the targets attacked: A military site with underground infrastructure for the development and production of weapons, and transit infrastructure on the Syrian-Lebanon border through which the terror group Hezbollah is trying to transfer weapons,” the IDF stated.

On Sunday morning, the military’s Arabic Spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee reiterated the warnings to residents of southern Lebanon not to approach the IDF’s positions.

“As you know, the IDF has recently redeployed to various locations in southern Lebanon, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement, with the aim of gradually enabling the effective deployment of the Lebanese army, and dismantling and removing Hezbollah,” Adraee stated.

“I remind you that the agreement period has been extended and IDF forces are still deployed in the field… We ask you to wait, and not allow Hezbollah to exploit you again,” he wrote on X.

Despite the IDF’s calls, there were several reports of “return marches” in different villages of southern Lebanon, with hundreds again waving Hezbollah flags and approaching Israeli-held positions while chanting slogans.

Lebanese media outlets reported that Israeli soldiers opened fire on civilians. Other reports said the IDF detained a fisherman off the Lebanese coast near a-Naqoura, near the Israeli border. The IDF didn’t comment on the allegations.