Report: Israel to wage large-scale offensive if Hezbollah not disarmed

The state-run Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported late Thursday that the Israeli army finalized a plan in recent weeks to launch a large-scale offensive against Hezbollah positions should the Lebanese government and army fail to dismantle the party's weapons before the end of 2025.

It quoted unnamed Israeli security sources as saying that the plan was prepared by the Israeli army command, the Northern Command and the Intelligence and Operations directorates, as part of preparation for the potential collapse of political efforts led by Beirut to disarm Hezbollah.

The same sources added that the air force conducted extensive exercises in recent days with the aim of raising readiness for the potential execution of the military operation in south Lebanon.

The corporation quoted a senior security official as saying that Israel has informed the United States that it would act on its own to disarm Hezbollah if it was not done effectively, even if that led to days of fighting or renewed confrontations on the northern front.

The official added that Washington conveyed the Israeli warning to the Lebanese side. Lebanon, however, clarified that the process is complex and requires additional time to be achieved.

This is the second time in two weeks that Israeli reports have mentioned a plan to expand operations against Hezbollah.

On November 30, Israel’s Channel 13 reported that the Israeli army had presented an operational plan to expand attacks against Hezbollah during a special meeting held with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a number of ministers and security officials.