Israel’s army chief of staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, on Sunday issued a stern warning to Hezbollah and other regional adversaries, vowing to target anyone who threatens Israeli citizens. Halevi emphasized that Israel's current operations are a "clear message" not only to Hezbollah but to all enemies of the state.

“This operation against Hezbollah’s chain of command is a clear message to Hezbollah but it is also a message to the Middle East and beyond: We will hit anyone who threatens the citizens of the state of Israel,” Halevi declared in a video statement, praising the successful strike in Beirut that killed top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil and several other senior leaders, signaling that Hezbollah is paying a steep price for its aggression.

Halevi also assured that Israel's military campaign will continue until the northern residents displaced by Hezbollah’s rocket fire can safely return to their homes.

“The price that Hezbollah is paying has increased. Our attacks will increase,” he warned, adding that Israel has the capability to “reach anyone who threatens the citizens of the State of Israel.”

“We will safely return the residents to their homes, and if Hezbollah has not understood this yet, it will get one blow after another until it understands,” Halevi vowed, further hinting that Israel has “many more capabilities that we have not yet activated” and stressing that the country remains at a “very high level of readiness both in attack and defense.”

For his part, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also referenced the recent Israeli strike in Beirut, calling it “significant, important and powerful.” He reaffirmed Israel's commitment to ensuring the safety of its citizens.

“We have a goal – to return the residents of the north to their homes safely, and to do that we will take all the necessary measures,” he vowed.

“The past week was the most difficult week in Hezbollah’s history, and especially in the last day,” Gallant stated. 

On the other side, Hezbollah's deputy leader, Naim Qassem, announced on Sunday that the group has entered a "new phase" in its confrontation with Israel. 

"We are now in a phase of open confrontation with Israel, namely an open reckoning,” Qassem declared during the funeral of Ibrahim Aqil, a senior Hezbollah commander who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Friday. 

"Threats won't deter us... We are fully prepared to handle any military scenario," Qassem stated, noting that Hezbollah's recent strikes on Israeli military production sites and an airbase near Haifa were part of this new "open confrontation."

He reiterated that Hezbollah’s cross-border attacks would only cease if a truce is reached in Gaza, warning that Israel’s military actions would only further complicate the situation for the country and its northern residents.

The security situation remains tense, with intelligence assessments suggesting that Hezbollah may attempt to fire rockets deeper into Israeli territory. Earlier this morning, the group launched rockets at the Haifa and Jezreel Valley areas, approximately 50 kilometers south of the Lebanese border. According to Israel's Channel 12, around 1.5 million Israelis are now within Hezbollah's rocket range.

Hezbollah claimed that the attacks targeted strategic Israeli sites, including a Rafael defense firm facility in Haifa and the Israeli Air Force’s Ramat David Airbase near Yokneam. Despite the increasing hostilities, the Channel 12 report indicated that Hezbollah has not yet deployed its precision-guided missiles, likely out of fear that doing so could escalate the conflict into full-scale war.

According to the report, there is ongoing debate within Israel's leadership about how to proceed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Gallant, and IDF chief Halevi reportedly agree on the gradual intensification of pressure against Hezbollah. This approach carries risks but aims to avoid triggering an all-out war. However, other voices within the Israeli government are pushing for a ground offensive in Lebanon and more extensive bombings in Beirut to restore security to Israel’s northern border.