Defence Minister Israel Katz has warned there would be "no calm" in Lebanon if Israel's security was not guaranteed, as Israeli forces intensify attacks despite a year-old ceasefire.
"We will not allow any threats against the inhabitants of the north, and maximum enforcement will continue and even intensify," Katz told the Israeli parliament on Wednesday.
He cited the killing of a top Hezbollah leader in an Israeli strike on southern Beirut days earlier.
"There will be no calm in Beirut, nor order and stability in Lebanon, until the security of the State of Israel is guaranteed," he said, vowing to disarm Hezbollah.
An Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on Sunday killed Haytham Ali Tabatabai, the most senior Hezbollah member to be killed by Israel since a November 2024 ceasefire sought to end over a year of hostilities.
Tabatabai's killing comes as Israel has escalated its attacks on Lebanon, with the United States increasing its pressure on the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah.
Israeli truce violations
Egypt's foreign minister said Wednesday that his country was working to de-escalate heightened tensions in Lebanon.
"We fear any escalation, and we fear for the security and stability of Lebanon," Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Ati said after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Beirut.
"We are making an intensive effort to spare Lebanon any risks or any aggressive tendencies against its security and safety," he added.
Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite the truce.
Lebanese President Aoun said earlier this week that his country is ready to negotiate an agreement that would end Israeli truce violations and lead to Israel’s withdrawal from the five border hills it has occupied since the truce last year.
Aoun also said Lebanese troops are prepared to deploy at all positions from which Israeli forces withdraw.
