Netanyahu rushes security cabinet into emergency talks as Hezbollah rocket attacks intensify in northern Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has convened an urgent meeting of the country’s security cabinet following a sharp escalation in cross-border attacks from Lebanon, as tensions with Hezbollah continue to rise.

According to Israeli media reports, the emergency session included senior defence officials and military leadership after northern Israel came under a heavy barrage of rockets and drone strikes. The attacks reportedly triggered widespread alarms across several border communities, including Safed and Nahariya.

Officials said the Israeli military was assessing what it described as an unexpected scale and coordination of fire from across the Lebanese border. The situation has raised concerns within Israel’s security establishment about the stability of the current ceasefire framework and the risk of further escalation.

Military radio reports indicated that rocket alerts have been triggered more than a thousand times in northern Israel since the latest phase of hostilities began, underscoring the intensity of the cross-border exchanges in recent weeks.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, claimed responsibility for drone operations targeting Israeli military positions near northern settlements and forested military zones close to the border area. The group said its actions were in response to ongoing Israeli operations in southern Lebanon.

The escalation comes amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon despite previous ceasefire arrangements brokered through international mediation efforts. Lebanese authorities have reported significant casualties and damage from sustained air and ground operations over recent months.

In a further development highlighting the political tensions inside Israel, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir renewed his hardline rhetoric, calling for severe retaliatory action against Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahieh—a densely populated area considered a stronghold of Hezbollah. His comments have drawn criticism due to the civilian population in the area.

Analysts warn that the growing exchange of attacks and increasingly aggressive political statements on both sides are pushing the region closer to a wider and more dangerous confrontation, with limited diplomatic momentum currently visible.

The situation remains fluid, with both military and political leaders weighing their next steps as hostilities along the Israel–Lebanon border continue to intensify.

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