Israel intensifies strikes on Lebanon, but “any domestic sectarian division could pose a greater threat than the enemy”

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator

On May 7, the Israeli military (IDF) launched a wide series of airstrikes across southern Lebanon while Hezbollah escalated drone and rocket attacks against Israeli forces occupying Lebanon near the southern border.

The IDF announced that it had struck more than 15 Hezbollah-linked sites in southern Lebanon during overnight operations and Thursday morning raids. According to the IDF, the targets included weapons depots, command centers, missile-launching platforms, weapons manufacturing facilities, and infrastructure allegedly used to coordinate attacks against Israeli troops and northern Israeli communities.

Israeli military officials stated that several rocket launchers used in previous attacks toward Israeli territory were destroyed during the operation. Israeli media reported that the Israeli Air Force also carried out strikes in the city of Nabatieh, marking one of the first major attacks on the area in weeks as Israel broadens the scope of its occupation and airstrikes in southern Lebanon.

Field reports from southern Lebanon indicated that Israeli warplanes conducted additional strikes on the towns of Toul and Harouf as part of a sustained aerial offensive throughout the region.

Ceasefire Under Increasing Pressure

The latest escalation comes despite a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah that entered into force on April 17 and was later extended following indirect diplomatic discussions involving Lebanese and Israeli representatives in Washington.

Nevertheless, Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon have continued, resulting in mounting casualties and widespread destruction. Lebanese officials accuse Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire and undermining diplomatic efforts aimed at stabilizing the border region.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri stated in an interview with Al Jazeera that Iranian officials informed Lebanese leadership that any future agreement between Tehran and Washington would also include provisions concerning Lebanon and the ongoing conflict with Israel.

Berri said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi assured him that Lebanon would be included in any broader regional ceasefire arrangement involving the United States. He added that any agreement between Lebanon and Israel would require strong international guarantees, arguing that Israel has repeatedly failed to honor previous commitments.

Israeli Strike on Beirut Kills Senior Hezbollah Commander

In a significant escalation, Israel confirmed on May 7, that it had assassinated Ahmad Ghaleb Ballout, identified as the commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, during an airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs the previous day.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the operation, declaring that “the blood of anyone who threatens the State of Israel is forfeited.”

Netanyahu claimed Ballout had been overseeing plans to infiltrate and attack northern Israel and accused him of coordinating operations from what he described as a concealed headquarters in Beirut.

“There is no immunity anymore,” Netanyahu said. “No terrorist Is beyond reach.”

Israeli officials said the military has killed more than 220 Hezbollah operatives since the ceasefire understandings were implemented, including over 85 fighters during the past week alone. The IDF also stated that more than 180 Hezbollah infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon had been targeted over the last seven days.

Images from Beirut’s southern suburb showed the upper floors of a residential building completely destroyed, while rescue workers continued searching through the rubble.

Hezbollah has not officially announced retaliation for the Beirut strike, although the group significantly intensified operations along the border throughout May 7.

Hezbollah Escalates Drone Warfare

Hezbollah announced multiple operations targeting Israeli military positions and vehicles in southern Lebanon using drones, rockets, and guided munitions.

The group said it struck an Israeli D9 military bulldozer near Khallat al-Raj close to the town of Deir Seryan using a suicide drone, claiming a direct hit.

On the morning of May 7, Hezbollah announced that it had targeted an Israeli command center in the town of Bayyada with an attack drone, again claiming a successful strike. The group also said it attacked a Merkava tank in Bayyada using an explosive drone and later launched a rocket barrage against Israeli military vehicle concentrations in the town of Shamaa.

Israeli media reported that at least seven Israeli soldiers were wounded during drone attacks launched by Hezbollah over the past 24 hours. The Israeli military separately confirmed that four soldiers were injured, including one seriously, in a drone strike in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.

The IDF also acknowledged that rockets had been fired from southern Lebanon toward Israeli forces during recent hours, though no casualties were reported.

Israeli air defense sirens sounded in Kiryat Shmona and surrounding areas following the detection of a drone crossing from Lebanese territory.

Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that eight soldiers had been wounded in multiple incidents involving Hezbollah drones on Wednesday and noted growing concern within Israel’s security establishment over the increasing sophistication and frequency of unmanned aerial attacks.

Civilian Casualties and Expanding Israeli Operations

Israeli attacks continued across southern Lebanon throughout May 7, resulting in additional casualties.

Lebanese media reported that an Israeli drone strike targeted a vehicle transporter truck near Safa Station on the Mifdoun road, killing one person. Additional Israeli strikes on the road near Haboush reportedly killed two more individuals.

Heavy artillery shelling also struck the towns of Haboush, Deir al-Zahrani, Kfour, Srifa, Frun, Qlaileh, and Burj Qalaouiyeh from early morning hours onward.

The Israeli military later issued urgent evacuation warnings to residents of Deir al-Zahrani, Farwa, and Haboush, ordering civilians to move at least one kilometer away from the affected areas.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry stated that more than 2,700 people have been killed since the conflict intensified on March 2. Israel, meanwhile, says 17 Israeli soldiers have died in combat in southern Lebanon during the same period, while Hezbollah has launched hundreds of rockets and drones toward Israeli targets.

Israel also continues to maintain what it describes as a unilateral 10-kilometer security zone inside southern Lebanon aimed at protecting northern Israeli communities.

Diplomatic Activity Intensifies in Washington

Diplomatic efforts to prevent a wider war are continuing in parallel with the military escalation.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated on May 5, that Lebanon is not seeking normalization with Israel but rather “peace.” He stressed that discussions regarding any future meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remain premature and would require extensive preparation.

Salam said that stabilizing the ceasefire remains the essential foundation for any future negotiations and reiterated Lebanon’s demand for a clear timetable for Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanese territory.

He also announced plans to develop a strategy to place all weapons under state control, a statement widely interpreted as referencing Hezbollah’s military arsenal.

Lebanese and Israeli representatives previously held two rounds of talks in Washington on April 14 and April 23. Lebanese officials confirmed that a third round of discussions is expected to take place next week at the U.S. State Department, although the exact date and level of representation have not yet been finalized.

Regional Tensions and U.S.-Iran Dynamics

The escalation in Lebanon comes amid broader regional uncertainty surrounding indirect U.S.-Iran negotiations.

U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated May 6, that Iranian officials are eager to reach an agreement to end the conflict. Speaking during a White House event for Mother’s Day, Trump said Washington was dealing with “people who very much want to make a deal.”

Trump referred to what he described as a “steel wall” around the Strait of Hormuz and suggested that increased American pressure could eventually force Iran into accepting terms favorable to Washington.

Internal Hezbollah Reorganization

Meanwhile, Hezbollah has reportedly reorganized several of its political coordination files as part of an effort to improve political communication and manage the increasingly sensitive domestic situation in Lebanon.

According to Lebanese sources, Hezbollah assigned MP Hassan Fadlallah to oversee communication with the Lebanese presidency, while MP Hussein Hajj Hassan was tasked with supervising government coordination efforts. Senior Hezbollah official Hussein Khalil was reappointed to maintain communication with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

Sources close to the organization indicated that the restructuring reflects an internal decision to prioritize de-escalation domestically and prevent internal unrest amid growing political and security pressures.

Controversial Remarks by Israeli Finance Minister

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sparked widespread criticism after revealing comments made by his son, who was seriously wounded while serving in Lebanon with the Israeli military.

Speaking during a podcast interview, Smotrich said his son repeatedly urged him “not to finish the job” in Lebanon and to “leave something for him to do there.”

Smotrich responded, “Don’t worry, there will be enough for everyone,” comments that drew strong reactions online and fueled concerns about the Israeli government’s increasingly hardline rhetoric regarding Lebanon.

Observers described the remarks as indicative of a broader political climate favoring prolonged military escalation and continued operations in southern Lebanon.

Growing Risk of Wider Conflict

The current confrontation represents one of the most dangerous periods along the Israel-Lebanon border since the ceasefire was established. With Israeli strikes expanding deeper into Lebanese territory, Hezbollah intensifying drone warfare, and diplomatic efforts struggling to keep pace with battlefield developments, fears are growing that the conflict could evolve into a broader regional war involving multiple actors across the Middle East.

Journalist Steven Sahiounie of MidEastDiscourse conducted an interview with Lebanese Journalist and writer Hataf Daham about the latest developments in Lebanon.

1. Steven Sahiounie (SS): The Lebanese government wants direct negotiations with the Israeli enemy, and there are reports of an American effort to arrange a meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, amid widespread popular and political opposition within Lebanon. In your opinion, will these negotiations take place, and what will be the nature of the public reaction opposing direct normalization with the Israeli enemy?

Hatef Daham (HD): After the preliminary phase of talks between Lebanon and Israel at the ambassadorial level, the negotiations will enter a new stage starting in the middle of next week, centered on direct negotiations in Washington.

In this context, the head of the Lebanese delegation, former ambassador Simon Karam, is heading to the US capital carrying instructions from President Joseph Aoun, who has established a clear framework for the negotiations based on the priority of completely and permanently stopping Israeli attacks, in preparation for discussing an Israeli withdrawal, the release of prisoners, the return of residents to the southern villages, and the completion of the land border demarcation process.

However, beyond the technical aspects of the negotiations lies the political dimension that Washington and Tel Aviv are attempting to promote, whether through discussions about a direct meeting between the Lebanese president and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or through efforts to give the negotiations a broader political character. Nevertheless, the President of the Republic has firmly rejected holding any meeting with Netanyahu and conveyed this position to the American president through diplomatic channels, in a move reflecting Beirut’s insistence on separating security and political negotiations from any path that could be interpreted as normalization.

At the same time, President Aoun is seeking to visit the White House, where he will present his perspective directly to Trump, particularly the reasons pushing Lebanon to reject moving from negotiations aimed at stabilizing the situation toward any form of political normalization. Lebanon, with Arab support, is keen to emphasize that what is taking place falls within the framework of seeking peace according to established Arab references, not moving toward separate agreements.

Accordingly, President Aoun denies seeking normalization with Israel, stressing that the ongoing negotiations under American sponsorship are exclusively aimed at achieving a ceasefire and peace, not comprehensive normalization. Furthermore, the Prime Minister emphasized that “Lebanon is not heading toward normalization, but toward peace,” recalling the Arab Peace Initiative launched from Lebanon in 2002 and reaffirmed during the Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh in 2023 in the presence of Iran.

2. SS: While Israeli occupation aircraft bombard Lebanon, a political faction is working to implement the agendas of Washington and Tel Aviv by creating strife within the Lebanese street. In your opinion, where are internal developments in Lebanon heading?

H.D: The likelihood of slipping into civil war or internal strife does not appear high at the present stage, despite the atmosphere of war, political escalation, and increasing campaigns of incitement and accusations of treason on social media. There is a clear determination among the three presidencies to protect internal stability and civil peace, alongside political efforts by several forces, including the Free Patriotic Movement and the Progressive Socialist Party, through communication with various political components to preserve national unity and prevent internal tensions.

On the other hand, Hezbollah believes it will not be drawn into what Israel seeks — pushing the country toward internal fighting or sectarian clashes — at a time when various political forces recognize that any sectarian or religious division could pose a danger to Lebanon greater than the threats of external war itself.

The most prominent factor in this context remains the Saudi and Egyptian roles, as both Saudi Arabia and Egypt are working to calm political rhetoric and prevent any slide toward internal escalation that could threaten stability and civil peace.

3. SS: Israel is talking about the “Yellow Line,” a buffer zone, and preventing residents from returning to their villages in southern Lebanon. In your opinion, are the Lebanese government and President Aoun capable of preventing Israel from occupying the south through political means?

HD: Israel has long spoken, whether through its media or officials, about its desire to link southern Lebanon and southern Syria within a single security approach. In Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon, it has established buffer zones free of residents and weapons, calling them the “Yellow Line,” which reflects an Israeli tendency toward imposing a buffer zone in southern Lebanon as well.

However, the official Lebanese position appears more committed to the necessity of a complete Israeli withdrawal and an end to attacks, considering that no agreement can be reached before these two conditions are fulfilled.

At the same time, Israeli attempts continue to separate the Lebanese file from the Iranian file within the course of negotiations taking place in Islamabad, based on Tel Aviv’s belief that such separation would give it greater room to maneuver and pressure Lebanon from a position of weakness, potentially pushing it to accept Israeli conditions or acquiesce to the continued occupation of parts of its territory.

However, information coming from several Arab and regional capitals indicates that Iran insists on not abandoning the Lebanese file and considers it an essential part of the proposals it has presented to Washington. Consequently, any American-Iranian understanding will directly affect the Lebanese situation, especially in the south, as it is likely to include arrangements linked to restoring conditions to what they were after the July 2006 war in exchange for a complete Israeli withdrawal.

In this context, the Prime Minister’s remarks gain particular significance when he stated a few days ago that Lebanon has succeeded in establishing that it negotiates on its own behalf, but that does not mean the Lebanese track is entirely separate from the negotiations taking place in Islamabad.

Steven Sahiounie is a two-time award-winning journalist.