Responding to the recent incitement by the Lebanese government, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz remarked that the military is ready to “expand its operations” in Lebanon, but Israel will take unilateral action against Lebanon in case the Lebanese government does not curb Hezbollah.

Recently, Katz opined that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) were being given orders “to prepare to extend their operations in Lebanon,” which could indicate the military escalation of the situation on the northern front.

“In the case that the Lebanese government is not able to control Hezbollah, we will control the ground and do it by ourselves,” Katz further added.

During the early morning of March 2, Hezbollah fired a few rockets in Lebanon into northern Israel to retaliate for the assassination of Khamenei. This has drawn Lebanon into open war with Israel, which has since been executing fresh airstrikes in various cities in Lebanon.

Since Saturday, February 28, the airstrikes by Israel targeting Iran have been going on, with the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei being killed in the process. Tehran has since responded by hitting Israel and other nations in the region with missiles and drones.

Moreover, Iran has imposed a naval blockade on ships going through the Strait of Hormuz and threatened to attack oil tankers that have tried to pass through the strategic water route.