Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz warned the Lebanese government on Saturday (March 7) to disarm Hezbollah or "pay a very heavy price."

"We have no territorial claims against Lebanon, but we will not accept a situation where what existed for many years — firing from Lebanese territory toward the State of Israel — is renewed," Katz said in a video released by the Ministry of Defence. "Therefore we are turning and warning: act and take action before we act even more."

Lebanon was dragged into the wider Middle East war on Monday when Hezbollah fired at Israel, which responded with a new military campaign that has forced hundreds of thousands of Lebanese from their homes.

On Saturday morning, more buildings in the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut lay as mounds of smoking rubble and twisted metal, Reuters video showed, after heavy Israeli bombardment that followed an evacuation order for civilians.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

UNKNOWN LOCATION (MARCH 7, 2026) (MINISTRY OF DEFENCE - Access all)

1. (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ISRAEL'S DEFENCE MINISTER ISRAEL KATZ SAYING:

"I want to convey a message here to Lebanese President Aoun: Lebanon is not from the UN. You made a commitment and you made a commitment to uphold the agreement and disarm Hezbollah, and these things are not happening. We will not allow harm to our communities, we will not allow harm to our soldiers. And if things stand and stand against each other, the one who will pay the full price is the Lebanese government and Lebanon as a whole. We will not allow Hezbollah to operate from all the infrastructures of Lebanese territory to harm civilians, to harm soldiers, and therefore if you do not enforce, and if the choice is to protect our citizens and the peace of our soldiers or the State of Lebanon, we will choose to protect our citizens and our soldiers, and the Lebanese government and Lebanon will pay a very heavy price."

2. WHITE FLASH

3. (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ISRAEL'S DEFENCE MINISTER ISRAEL KATZ SAYING:

"We have no territorial claims against Lebanon, but we will not accept a situation where what existed for many years — firing from Lebanese territory toward the State of Israel, we will not allow a return to this situation. Therefore we are turning and warning: act and take action before we act even more."