Israel defends Beirut strikes with intel claims as official pushes broader Lebanon strategy

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Israel continues to threaten additional strikes on Lebanon while justifying Thursday’s attack on Beirut's southern suburbs, claiming it does not contradict the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.

Accordingly, the attack was carried out due to the Lebanese government's and army's lack of response to an intelligence report shared with Beirut a week earlier. 

The report alleged that Hezbollah was continuing military activity near the capital, including the production of thousands of drones.

Like other security and military officials, Benny Gantz believes that ensuring security along the border with Lebanon requires the establishment of a buffer zone and control of at least 15 kilometers of territory inside Lebanon.

Gantz, who currently leads in opinion polls should early elections be held, says Israel must not only ensure its security with Lebanon but also pursue a political future with it.

To that end, Gantz says he is willing to relinquish military positions seized by Israeli forces inside Lebanon in exchange for normalization.

Gantz’s aspirations for normalization with Lebanon coincide with broader military plans supported by Israeli leaders across the political spectrum — from right to left — based on maintaining deterrence across all borders, including Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria, in line with Israel’s vision for the future of the Middle East.