After Drone Attack, Israel Threatens to Destroy Hezbollah Stronghold

Two drones suspected of being launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon into northern Israel have triggered threats of harsh retaliation from Israeli officials. Two right-wing ministers have even urged the government to attack Dahiyeh, an area in the southern suburbs of Beirut known as a Hezbollah stronghold. The drone attack was reported to have caused no casualties. ‘Two impacts from suspicious aerial targets in Israeli territory were identified near the Israel-Lebanon border. There are no reports of injuries,’ the Israeli military said.

The call for retaliatory strikes was made by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. He asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to implement the Dahiyeh Doctrine previously announced by the Israeli government. ‘The shooting at the northern communities is a test of the Dahiyeh Doctrine announced by the prime minister. I call upon him to implement it decisively and firmly, and to destroy the buildings in Dahiyeh,’ Smotrich said via his X account.

A similar call was made by Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir. He demanded a firm response to any attack carried out by Hezbollah. ‘For every drone, a missile; for every violation, a shot; for every UAV, Dahiyeh must tremble,’ Ben Gvir wrote on his X account.

Previously, a number of Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, had warned that Israel would strike Dahiyeh if the Iran-backed Hezbollah group targeted Israeli communities in the northern region. According to them, this stance is also supported by the United States.

Amid the escalating tensions, the Israeli military also issued forced evacuation orders for residents in more than 20 towns and villages in southern Lebanon. Israel warned it would launch attacks on 29 locations in southern Lebanon, including 25 sites in the Nabatieh district and four sites in the Sidon district. Residents were ordered to evacuate immediately to areas north of the Zahrani River. In a series of statements posted on X, an Israeli military spokesperson named several towns included in the evacuation order, including Jbaa, Houmin al-Tahta, Ansar, and Kfar Sir.