Israel will continue to attack the Beirut neighborhood of Dahiyeh if Hezbollah continues to attack Israel’s northern region, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday afternoon.
“We reject Iran’s threats outright,” Katz added. “Any attempt by Iran to use ties with Lebanon to attack Israel will be met with great force.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, on Monday, reportedly proposed to the Security Cabinet that Israel should strike 20-30 buildings in Beirut’s Dahiyeh for every Iranian missile launched towards Israel.
Dahiyeh is a suburb south of Beirut where Hezbollah has a strong presence. The IDF struck Dahiyeh on Sunday, which Iran used as a trigger to begin launching waves of missile launches towards Israel on Sunday evening.
The apparent logic behind Smotrich’s plan is that striking Beirut in this manner would affect Iran’s calculations regarding the regime’s connection to Lebanon.
Additionally, destroying 1,000 to 2,000 buildings in Dahiyeh would strengthen security and create a deterrent for years to come within Lebanon.
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.