Military buildup follows rocket attack: Will Israel widen its operations in Lebanon?

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

As of late Saturday night, Israel's security cabinet had yet to reach a final decision on how to respond to the rocket fire launched toward Metula from Lebanon. 

The discussion saw government ministers pushing for a heavy bombardment campaign aimed at destroying Lebanon's infrastructure and enforcing what they called the "Beirut-Metula equation" by striking deep into the Lebanese capital. 

Officials in the meeting asserted that the Lebanese state bears full responsibility for the escalation.  

Energy Minister Eli Cohen threatened further military action, declaring that Israel would not withdraw from Lebanon and insisting that the security of Israeli citizens remains solely in the hands of the Israeli army.  

While some Israeli officials advocated for coordination with the United States before taking further steps, sources close to the government argued that the rocket fire represented a blatant violation of previous agreements. They called for Israel to abandon its commitments, deploy additional military units into Lebanon, and resume both aerial and ground operations in the south, extending up to the Litani River.  

Although Israel has temporarily frozen plans to expand its strikes into Beirut following Lebanese diplomatic outreach to Washington, the Israeli army has heightened its state of alert. 

Military reinforcements have been deployed to border towns, and officials are working to prevent residents—many of whom had only returned home after a year and a half of displacement—from leaving again. 

Reports suggest that tensions on this front may escalate further despite over two months having passed since the ceasefire decision.