Israeli Ministers Call for Beirut Strikes

By Tahani Elghazaly
Published May 25, 2026

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Lebanon has returned to the centre of regional escalation after two far-right Israeli ministers urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume airstrikes on Beirut in response to Hezbollah drone attacks targeting Israeli forces and northern communities.

The calls followed the death of an Israeli soldier in a drone attack. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel’s response should change and called for buildings in Beirut to be destroyed for every Hezbollah drone launched. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also called for a return to military action in Lebanon, criticizing what he described as the normalization of Hezbollah drone attacks.

The political pressure comes despite an April ceasefire that has not fully stopped violence on the Lebanese front. Limited clashes, Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks have continued, leaving the ceasefire fragile and vulnerable to a wider breakdown.

Reuters reported that Hezbollah has recently used low-cost FPV explosive drones, including systems operated through fiber-optic cables to evade Israeli defences. Smotrich also announced a 2 billion shekel, about 693 million dollar, budget for counter-drone technology.

The ministers’ remarks do not yet amount to an official Israeli decision to resume large-scale strikes on Beirut. However, they show growing pressure inside Netanyahu’s government to move the response beyond southern Lebanon and toward the Lebanese capital, a step that could sharply widen the conflict if translated into military action.

The calls also come amid broader regional pressure linked to U.S.-Iran talks and efforts to stabilize several fronts, including Lebanon, Gaza, and energy routes. International reports say some Israeli ministers fear a possible U.S.-Iran deal could limit Israel’s freedom of action against Hezbollah.

In Lebanon, the humanitarian cost remains severe. The Associated Press reported that recent Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed civilians, paramedics, and a child, while earlier reports said Lebanon’s death toll from the current round of fighting has passed 3,000.

The latest developments place Lebanon at a highly sensitive point. If strikes on Beirut resume, the move would not be a limited military message; it could pull the Lebanese capital back into direct war and threaten a wider regional escalation at a moment when international diplomacy is trying to contain the crisis