Security officials said to undercut Katz’s warning that IDF will hit Beirut if Hezbollah attacks

Despite Defense Minister Israel Katz’s threat that any Hezbollah attack on northern Israel would be met with strikes on Beirut’s Dahiyeh district, a Hezbollah stronghold, Channel 12 reports that security officials say no such policy has been formally adopted.

According to the report, officials say that beyond Katz’s statement, there is currently no directive mandating strikes on Beirut in response to attacks on northern communities, and the issue has not been codified in Israel’s internal deliberations.

The report also says IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned ministers in a closed-door cabinet discussion yesterday against accepting new “equations” after the resumption of a ceasefire with Iran under US pressure halted a planned large-scale IDF strike, which he referenced today in public comments.

When asked by Shas party chair Aryeh Deri whether he thought it was worth risking tensions with Washington, Zamir reportedly replied: “No, but can we allow ourselves to be fired upon and be limited in response?”