Katz Threatens Nabatieh While Netanyahu Rules Out an Iran Strike and Araghchi Calls Beirut

Israel’s defense minister told reporters on a visit to the buffer zone in southern Lebanon on Wednesday that Hezbollah would lose more ground if it joined an Iranian attack. The same day, Iran’s foreign minister phoned Lebanon’s president, and Israel’s prime minister said on Army Radio that he is not seeking a pre-election strike on Iran.

Israel votes on 27 October. Reuters reports that the United States and Israel have been at war with Iran since 28 February and that Israel and Iran have not exchanged fire since June. Lebanon and Israel signed a framework agreement in June, which The New Arab says “made little progress towards ending the violence.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel would take Nabatieh and the Litani area if Hezbollah joined an Iranian attack. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Lebanon’s president that Israel’s occupation of the south must end, according to Iranian outlets. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Army Radio that a pre-election strike on Iran “is not convenient for us.” The Lebanese presidency’s account of the Araghchi call, as relayed by Middle East Monitor, speaks of diplomacy and does not mention the occupation.

Katz spoke on the morning of Wednesday 14 October during a visit to the Israeli military’s buffer zone, the Times of Israel reported. The Times of Israel quotes him: “If Hezbollah joins Iran in an attack on Israel, it will be dealt a heavy blow.” The territory would be lost “in the areas of Nabatieh and the Litani,” and would “become part of Israel’s permanent security zone.”

He added that “the IDF is prepared to carry out the ground offensive.” Beirut’s southern suburbs, Dahiyeh, “will also be evacuated, and its terror infrastructure will be struck.” By his count, “more than one million Shiites will become displaced in Lebanon.” He then turned to Hezbollah’s leadership: “Nasrallah destroyed Lebanon’s Shiite community before he was eliminated,” and Naim Qassem “could annihilate it completely, until he too is eliminated.”

The Jerusalem Post reports that this was the first time in months an Israeli official explicitly threatened Nabatieh, which the government had wanted to seize before a ceasefire imposed by Donald Trump stopped it. Katz framed the expansion as retaliation only, the paper says.

Earlier on Wednesday, Araghchi phoned President Joseph Aoun. Press TV, an Iranian state broadcaster, reported that he “underscored the necessity of an end to Israel’s attacks against Lebanon and the regime’s occupation of the southern region.” Iran’s Foreign Ministry readout, as relayed by Middle East Monitor, said he also briefed Aoun on Iran’s diplomatic efforts. The Lebanese presidency’s statement said both sides agreed on “the need to support diplomatic solutions as the best means of ending conflicts in the region.”

Press TV ties the demand to a “14-point Pakistan-brokered Memorandum of Understanding” signed with Washington on 17 June, which it says “calls for a permanent end to hostilities across all fronts, including Lebanon.” Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh arrived at Beirut airport the same day, according to Lebanese reports of the call.

In an interview with Israel’s Army Radio, reported by Reuters, Netanyahu answered rivals who say he wants a confrontation before the vote. A preemptive strike, he said, “is not convenient for us, it’s no good.” He added: “Even if Iran fires missiles at us they will blame me.” He repeated that Israel would respond forcefully if attacked, and said Iran’s proxies were also looking to hit Israel before the election.

Reuters says he declined to say whether a strike could come after the election and would not discuss his recent talks with Washington about Iran.

Israel votes on 27 October. Hezbollah has yet to answer Katz in its own words. Al Jadeed, citing political sources, reported that Beirut was awaiting an Iranian message for Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, which Khatibzadeh might carry. Netanyahu left open the question of a strike after the vote, and that answer comes after the count.