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Netanyahu Signals Wider Strikes in Lebanon: "Press the Gas" Against Hezbollah
American officials told Al Jazeera that "Hezbollah ignored repeated requests to stop firing at Israel." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ordering an expansion of the strikes. The IDF confirmed it has begun attacking several areas in Lebanon.
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(Archive photo: IDF Spokesperson)(Photo: Prime Minister's Office Spokesperson)
The IDF Spokesperson said this evening (Monday) that the IDF has begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure in the Beqaa Valley and in several other areas in Lebanon. Lebanese reports said that Israeli Air Force fighter jets were seen this evening circling over the skies of Beirut, southern Lebanon, the Beqaa region, and the Mount Lebanon area. This strike is the second today against Hezbollah infrastructure. The first, in the afternoon, focused on areas in southern Lebanon and not deeper inside the country.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a short video statement this evening and said that he had instructed the IDF "to press the gas in Lebanon and strike Hezbollah hard." Channel 12 News reported that it appears Israel succeeded in convincing President Donald Trump that it must act forcefully in Lebanon, and that this is also in the American interest. An Israeli security source added that "it was decided to stop showing restraint — Israel has decided to strike Hezbollah significantly."
Earlier this evening, a senior American official told Al Jazeera that "the Trump administration will support an escalation of Israel's actions against Hezbollah. Hezbollah ignored repeated requests to stop firing at Israel, including an ultimatum that was recently conveyed. Israel will never be required to passively absorb attacks on its forces and civilians. This is not the Biden administration."
The American official noted that since April 17, Hezbollah has launched more than 1,000 drones and more than 700 rockets in an attempt to sabotage the ongoing negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. "The status quo is unsustainable. Hezbollah is fully responsible for the current situation. It violated the ceasefire on March 2 and is now determined to block a path to peace and reconstruction for the Lebanese people. Hezbollah fears the negotiations that the Lebanese government is conducting with Israel with U.S. backing. This poses an existential threat to Hezbollah."
