Rubble litters the ground of a street in the Mar Mikhael Church neighborhood, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, after an Israeli strike, on March 7, 2026. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday threatened to empty and strike the southern suburb of Beirut and to expand Israeli occupation into southern Lebanon, if Hezbollah joins Iran in attacking Israel amid rising tensions in the region. The Lebanese capital has been spared Israeli attacks since early June, after being heavily pounded during the most recent war that resumed in full force on March 2. Strikes on Beirut slowed after the deadly attacks of April 8, 2026, which hit the entire country, and following international pressure.
The Israeli army "is ready to launch a ground offensive" and Hezbollah's stronghold in Beirut's southern suburb "will also be evacuated and its terrorist infrastructure struck, while more than a million Shiite residents will be displaced in Lebanon," said Katz during a visit Wednesday morning to the area occupied by the Israeli army in southern Lebanon. "Nasrallah destroyed Lebanon's Shiite community before being eliminated, and Naim Qassem could wipe it out completely, until he too is eliminated," he added, referring to the former Hezbollah secretary general, killed on Sept. 27, 2024, in an Israeli strike in Beirut, and to his successor at the head of the party.
"If Hezbollah joins Iran in attacking Israel, it will suffer a hard blow and lose more territory in southern Lebanon, in the Nabatieh and Litani areas, which will be integrated into Israel's permanent security zone," the defense minister said. On Tuesday night, he reported "attempts by our enemies, led by Iran and its proxies, to carry out attacks aimed at influencing the outcome of Israel's elections," according to Israeli media.
Netanyahu warns of attacks on Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday in an interview with military radio station GLZ that "Israel's enemies are seeking to attack the country before the upcoming elections," scheduled for Oct. 27. Asked about the possibility of a military escalation before the parliamentary elections, Netanyahu responded: "I sincerely hope that will not be the case." "It is true that Israel's enemies want to attack us in the coming days, and there are signs to that effect," he added, while denying his statements were motivated by political considerations.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese press reported Wednesday the arrival at Beirut International Airport of Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, at the head of a diplomatic delegation. He was received by a delegation from the Amal movement, led by Khalil Hamdane, who represented Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, as well as by Hezbollah MP Ali Mokdad.
2 p.m. recap: UNIFIL, Hezbollah at heart of debates; ballistic missile intercepted in Riyadh; pope operated for cancerous nodule