Israel Raises the Stakes: Announcement of Targeting Hezbollah Leader and Hinting at a Large Operation in Lebanon

In a serious escalation that threatens to expand the confrontation in the region, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Naeem Qassem, has become a "specific target for elimination," emphasizing that the Israeli army is working with increasing force against the party in Lebanon.

Katz explained that the decision was made in coordination with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stressing that military operations against Hezbollah will continue at an intensive pace in light of the accelerating escalation on the Lebanese front.

This announcement came hours after Qassem pledged that the party would "respond to the aggression," in a statement mourning the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, following the announcement of his death in the American-Israeli attack targeting Iran on Saturday.

Israeli-American Coordination

In parallel, an Israeli security source revealed that there is close coordination between Tel Aviv and Washington regarding the ongoing military operation in Lebanon, indicating that the proposed plan may go beyond airstrikes to include a large-scale operation, possibly a ground invasion.

The source added that Israel considers the continued arming of Hezbollah to be a direct threat, confirming that "there is no immunity for any political or military figure linked to the party."

UN Warnings and Widespread Displacement

On the ground, the pace of displacement from southern Lebanon towards safer cities, particularly Sidon and Beirut, is accelerating, while the southern suburbs of the capital have recorded a heavy movement of displacement towards internal areas.

In the first international comment on the escalation, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Janine Hennis-Plasschaert, called for restraint, warning that "gambling with Lebanon's stability and future will only lead to catastrophic results."

Emergency Meeting of the Lebanese Government

In Beirut, the Lebanese government held an emergency meeting at the presidential palace chaired by President Joseph Aoun and attended by Army Commander Rudolf Haikal, to discuss the rapidly evolving security developments following Hezbollah's launch of rockets and drones towards Israel.

Expectations are rising that the meeting will witness pivotal decisions regarding how to deal with the accelerating military escalation, as attention turns to the possibility of Lebanon slipping into an open confrontation that could change the equations in the region.