Israel denies it will stop targeting Beirut, says it could strike there soon

A senior Israeli official has said that Israel could strike Beirut again soon, after a brief lull from bombardment in the capital, various reports in Israeli media stated on Monday.

"Israel attacks everywhere in Lebanon, including Beirut. We proved this recently, and we will prove it again in the coming days, in accordance with operational considerations," the official said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday vowed to strike Hezbollah without mercy following a deadly drone strike by the group on a military base in Israel, and said retaliation would extend to targets in Beirut.

"We will continue to mercilessly strike Hezbollah in all parts of Lebanon - including Beirut. All this according to operational considerations. We have proven it recently and we will continue to prove it in the days to come," he said while visiting the military base near Haifa hit by a Hezbollah drone on Sunday night.

There had previously been reports that Netanyahu told the Israeli army to stop targeting Beirut, at the request of the Biden administration.

Israeli news site Yedioth Ahronoth reported yesterday that while Israel continues to expand its operations in south Lebanon, the air force has not attacked Beirut in recent days due to a reported request from Biden.

However, according to the Times of Israel, an Israeli official said reports that Israel’s political leadership told the Israeli army to either curb or stop attacks on Beirut were "entirely false".

"Israel maintains freedom of action all across Lebanon" the source said, adding that it was "depending on the location of the targets".

Last week, US President Joe Biden said he was "absolutely, positively" calling on the Israeli army to stop targeting UN peacekeepers in Lebanon and to halt targeting highly populated civilian areas of Beirut.

Israel’s last attack on Beirut was on Thursday, to target Hezbollah leader Wafiq Safa. The attack killed dozens of civilians.

An Israeli army statement at the time said they were “fighting to achieve the goals of the war based on an organised plan, and in accordance with directives of the political level”. They added that they would “not comment on what is happening between the army and the political level".

Some reports state that US Central Command chief Michael Kurilla met with the Israeli army’s chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, last week during a trip to Tel Aviv, calling on the army to stop bombing Beirut.

Running out of ammunition?

Various commentators have weighed in on the temporary cessation of bombings on Beirut, with some suggesting it may be due to the Israeli army running out of ammunition.

Earlier this year, Israeli media reported that the army is reportedly running out of tanks and ammunition, as it continues to wage a war on Gaza.

In filings submitted to the country’s Supreme Court, the military reportedly said that a significant number of tanks have been damaged or are completely out of service amid its Gaza offensive.

Halevi also said the incorporation of female fighters has "been delayed until November 2025" due to the shortage in ammunition.

"The number of operational tanks in the corps is insufficient for the needs of the war and for conducting experiments of the deployment of women," the court filing revealed, as reported by Yedioth Ahronoth.

The information raised questions at the time over Israel’s capabilities in the event of an all-out conflict with Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army has also been forced to ‘economise’ on weapons amidst decreasing international supplies of arms, Israeli news sites reported this week.

The army has been elevating the ranks of personnel allowed to use heavy weapons, such as mortar artillery, since there have been several embargoes on arms exports to Israel in recent months.

Haaretz reported, citing sources, that the military has now adopted a "tight arms economy" designed to allow for the prioritising of weaponry.

The reason for the "arms economy" is due to the current ammunition stock, and comes after UK, Germany and Canada said they would be restricting arms exports to Israel.