Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon has intensified, with the Israel Defense Forces reporting the elimination of more than 35 militants over the past week. In a precision strike, a guided-missile launcher was destroyed, according to military sources. The operations come as Defence Minister Israel Katz declared that the confrontation with Iran is far from over, warning that if Tehran attacks Israel, it will face a severe blow and that the IDF is prepared to strike Iran with great force. The remarks were echoed by the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, who issued an evacuation warning for the city of Tyre, including its Christian quarter, which had previously been spared, after Hezbollah fighters were reported to have taken positions there.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly addressed the Lebanese people, emphasising that Israel is not at war with them but with Hezbollah. The appeal, viewed from Jerusalem as an effort to widen the rift between the militant group and the Lebanese population, comes amid a broader regional escalation. The United States Central Command conducted a second night of strikes against numerous targets in Iran, prompting Iranian retaliation with missile fire toward Gulf states. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to all vessel traffic, threatening to attack any ship attempting to pass. President Donald Trump clarified that Israel was not involved in the US strikes, a statement analysts in Washington see as an attempt to prevent a direct Israeli-Iranian confrontation.

On the domestic front, a series of unrelated incidents unfolded across Israel. In Jerusalem, police sappers neutralised an explosive device found inside a cabinet at the entrance to a residential building in the Pisgat Ze’ev neighbourhood. The device was safely dismantled without injuries or property damage; police suspect a criminal motive. In the Jezreel Valley, a 54-year-old woman was bitten by a viper at a kibbutz and was evacuated to Poriya Medical Center in moderate condition with signs of envenomation. Meanwhile, a 20-year-old man was moderately injured in an electric scooter accident in Manshiya Zibda, and a cyclist was seriously injured in a self-accident on Highway 4. In a positive development, following an urgent appeal to police not to block the ‘Sofrim Compound’ neighbourhood, a quick solution was found: public transport lines will be rerouted to the Rabbi Landa Bridge, which officially opened to traffic today with traffic lights activated.

Looking ahead, the security situation remains volatile. The US strikes on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz threaten global oil supplies and maritime trade, while Israel’s intensified operations in Lebanon risk a broader conflict. Defence Minister Katz’s warning suggests that Israel is bracing for possible Iranian retaliation, and the IDF’s preparedness to strike Iran indicates that a direct confrontation, once unthinkable, is now being actively planned for. The coming days will be critical in determining whether the region slides into a wider war or whether diplomatic channels can still prevail.