Israel warns Hezbollah ‘playing with fire,’ presses Lebanon to act on weapons pledge

As Hezbollah rebuilds its forces and Lebanon is accused of failing to enforce the ceasefire presumption brokered past year, Israel's defence curate has fired disconnected a informing to Beirut.

On Sunday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said, "Hezbollah is playing with fire, and the president of Lebanon is dragging his feet," helium said. "The Lebanese government’s committedness to dismantle Hezbollah’s weapons and region it from confederate Lebanon indispensable beryllium realized. Enforcement volition proceed and deepen — we volition not let a menace to the residents of the north."

His informing comes arsenic Fox News Digital has learned that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is weighing broader operations against the Iran-backed violent radical aft repeated violations of the truce.

A elder IDF serviceman stationed connected the bluish borderline told Fox News Digital successful an exclusive interrogation that Hezbollah remains afloat equipped and funded by Iran.

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Israeli soldiers instrumentality portion successful an IDF workout to heighten operational readiness on the Lebanon borderline successful Oct. 2025. (IDF)

"Hezbollah didn’t springiness up their dense weapons," the serviceman said. "They’re inactive trained, inactive financed by Iran, and inactive trying to re-establish their positions. Our occupation is to marque definite they don’t succeed."

On Monday, the IDF confirmed it had killed 2 Hezbollah commanders successful confederate Lebanon. Muhammad Ali Hadid, a elder subordinate of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, was eliminated successful Nabatieh, portion different operative was struck successful Ayta ash Shab aft being seen collecting quality connected Israeli positions.

"The terrorists’ activities violated the understandings betwixt Israel and Lebanon," the IDF said successful a statement. "The IDF volition proceed to run to region immoderate menace to the State of Israel."

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir ticker arsenic the IDF carries retired strikes connected Houthi targets successful Yemen. (Ministry of Defense)

The elder serviceman said the operations bespeak Israel’s new, proactive information doctrine. "If idiosyncratic threatens us, we instrumentality power of the concern and marque the menace spell away," helium said. "We pushed Hezbollah back, truthful civilians could return. Now we’re fortifying those gains and acting to forestall their recovery."

That, helium added, is the acquisition Israel learned from Oct. 7. "Until then, we sometimes looked the different way. That’s over. We’re not sitting and waiting for the adjacent rocket."

A emblem bearing the representation of assassinated pro-Iranian Hezbollah person Hassan Nasrallah flutters successful beforehand of a representation of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during a ceremonial marking the archetypal day of Nasrallah’s assassination successful an Israeli airstrike astatine his sedate successful Beirut. Beirut, Lebanon, Sept. 27, 2025. (Marwan Naamani/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

The serviceman said the IDF’s 91st Division precocious completed its largest workout since the commencement of the war, designed to fortify operational readiness for some defence and violative operations on the Lebanese borderline — astatine sea, successful the air, and connected land.

"We tested our antiaircraft systems, coordination, and rapid-response capabilities," helium said. "We’re applying each acquisition from Oct. 7 truthful our effect adjacent clip volition beryllium immediate."

Israeli soldiers instrumentality portion successful an IDF workout to heighten operational readiness on the Lebanon borderline successful Oct. 2025 (IDF)

According to Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, quality officials judge Hezbollah is rapidly rebuilding its arsenal with Iranian assistance. The radical has partially restored its weapons proviso concatenation done Syria and Iraq, contempt disruptions pursuing the illness of the Assad authorities past year.

The Trump medication has besides expressed vexation implicit Beirut’s nonaccomplishment to curb Hezbollah. U.S. Special Envoy Thomas Barrack precocious described Lebanon arsenic "a failed state" due to the fact that of its "paralyzed government," and that Hezbollah pays its fighters much than the nationalist service soldiers earns.

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Commuters thrust past a newly-installed billboard bearing the representation of a Lebanese emblem and a connection that reads successful Arabic "Lebanon a caller era", replacing a Hezbollah billboard, connected the roadworthy starring to Beirut's Rafic Hariri International airdrome connected April 10, 2025.  (Photo by Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images)

Responding to Israel's preemptive strikes past week, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi urged his visiting German counterpart connected Friday to "help unit Israel to halt its attacks."

"Only a diplomatic solution, not a subject one, tin guarantee stableness and support calm successful the south," Raggi said, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).

He added that the Lebanese authorities "is gradually moving guardant with its determination to bring each weapons nether authorities control."

The United Nations Interim Force successful Lebanon (UNIFIL) connected Thursday voiced "deep concerns", urging each parties "to afloat perpetrate to the cessation of hostilities."

UNIFIL added that it remains successful interaction with the Lebanese Armed Forces and emphasized that extending authorities authorization "is astatine the precise halfway of Resolution 1701."

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IDF troops warring Hezbollah terrorists successful confederate Lebanon. (IDF Spokesman's Unit.)

Despite diplomatic criticism, Israeli commanders importune they volition not let Hezbollah to rebuild.

"We won’t hold for different Oct. 7," the Israeli serviceman said. "We’re vigilant, we’re rebuilding, and we’re ready. The quiescent we person present depends connected Hezbollah’s choices — not connected our willingness to support ourselves."