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Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced a decision for total war with Hezbollah is coming soon, as Israeli generals announced late Tuesday that they have abandoned plans for an offensive in Lebanon.
The escalating rhetoric followed the release of video of a Hezbollah surveillance drone overflying the northern city of Haifa, which included images of sensitive sites and civilian neighborhoods.
The release of the footage was widely interpreted as a thinly veiled threat against Haifa and comes at a time when cross-border exchanges continue between the two countries. Last week north Israel was hit by the heaviest Hezbollah barrage of the war following the Israeli assassination of a senior Hezbollah commander.
Katz said in an X post that after Hezbollah chief Syed Hassan Nasrallah’s threats to damage Haifa’s ports, which are operated by Chinese and Indian companies, “we are getting very close to the moment of deciding to change the rules of the game against Hezbollah and Lebanon”.
“In an all-out war, Hezbollah will be destroyed and Lebanon will be severely defeated,” he added.
The Israeli military later said that “operational plans for the offensive in Lebanon have been approved and confirmed and decisions have been made to continue increasing the readiness of troops on the ground.”
Katz’s comments came after the IDF said on Tuesday it had approved combat plans for Lebanon. The IDF said the generals conducted an assessment during which “operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon” were approved, including “accelerating the readiness of forces on the ground.”
The warnings came hours after Hezbollah released nine minutes of drone footage collected by its surveillance over locations in Israel, including the ports and airports of the key northern city of Haifa.
The release of the footage was flagged by the Lebanese armed movement, including on its Telegram channel, advising viewers on several channels to “watch and analyze” what it said were “important scenes”.
Hezbollah has sent surveillance and attack drones into Israel over the past eight months while exchanging fire with the Israeli military alongside Gaza war.
The decision to broadcast the footage, which contained images of residential and military sites in and around Haifa, including port facilities, appeared to be aimed at both an Israeli audience and a wider international one.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in November that he had sent surveillance drones over Haifa.
The footage appears to show parts of a factory belonging to Rafael defense – including Iron Dome batteries, rocket engine depots, David’s slingshot facilities and radar.
The latest exchange of threats between the two countries came as the US and France work towards a negotiated settlement of hostilities along Lebanon’s southern border with Israel.
The footage appears to highlight the growing difficulties Israel faces in dealing with the threat posed by Hezbollah drones, including several incidents where incoming drones were not detected by Israeli air defense systems, including a recent attack on a group of Israeli soldiers that killed one person.
Experts have estimated that Hezbollah uses a combination of tactics to avoid detection of its drones, including flying low and using multiple channels to avoid jamming technology.
Although about 150 drones have been intercepted, others have reached their targets, and Israeli officials have revealed that they have begun spending millions of shekels to counter the drone threat.
Among the reported planned upgrades to Israel’s air defense systems are improvements to the Iron Dome system to make it better equipped to deal with slower-flying unmanned aircraft and the reintroduction of retired conventional anti-aircraft weapons, including the Vulcan system.
The release of the footage appeared to coincide with US envoy Amos Hochstein’s visit to Lebanon after a meeting with senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a day earlier.
In Beirut, Hochstein called for an “urgent” de-escalation of the cross-border exchange of fire between Hezbollah and Israeli forces that has raged since the start of the Gaza war.
“The conflict … between Israel and Hezbollah has gone on long enough,” the presidential envoy said. “It is in everyone’s interest to resolve it quickly and diplomatically – it is both achievable and urgent.”
Despite Hochstein’s visit to the region, there appears to be little evidence of a breakthrough in efforts to reduce tensions on the Israel-Lebanon border. Reports in Israel suggest that Hochstein sees no prospect of significant movement as the war in Gaza continues.
After several days of relative calm between Israel and Hezbollah over the weekend, following last week’s barrages, which included the worst of the war, Tuesday saw a renewed escalation of hostilities.
Lebanon’s state media reported an Israeli drone strike on a car on a highway north of the coastal city of Tyre. It is not clear who was in the car or how many people were killed or injured.
Last week, Hezbollah launched hundreds of drones and rockets, including more than 200 in one day, and the Israeli military hit Hezbollah targets in response.
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