Katz to Lebanon: 'Heavy Price' if Hezbollah Attacks Continue — Direct Message to Aoun

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a direct televised warning to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, stating that Lebanon as a state — not just Hezbollah — will pay a very heavy price if attacks on Israeli troops and communities from Lebanese territory continue. Katz said: Israel will not allow attacks on its troops or communities from Lebanese territory, saying that residents will not be evacuated. In a message to Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, he said that if the choice becomes protecting our civilians and the safety of our soldiers or Lebanon, we will choose to defend our civilians and our soldiers, and the government of Lebanon and Lebanon will pay a very heavy price. The statement represents a significant escalation in Israeli rhetoric toward Lebanon as a state actor — previously IDF statements had distinguished between Hezbollah as the target and the Lebanese state as a co-sufferer. Katz has repeatedly urged Israelis in the north to remain in their homes, positioning the military as a guarantor of civilian security rather than evacuating the population as Hezbollah has demanded.