Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, said on Tuesday that Israel is ready to push further into the Nabatieh and Litani areas of southern Lebanon. The people who live there will be removed and the land added to the "security zone" Israel already occupies in the south, Katz said, in remarks carried by Al Jazeera Arabic.
Katz threatened Beirut in the same remarks. Any gunfire or drones sent towards Israel will be answered with strikes on the southern suburbs of the capital, he said, and Hezbollah will receive "a severe blow" if it joins any Iranian attack on Israel.
The threats came hours after U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unannounced visit to Israel, on the same day Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir landed in Tehran with a proposal to end the war between the USA and Iran.
This news is developing, more updates will follow.
