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Lebanese authorities have issued a stern warning to the Palestinian group Hamas, cautioning it against launching any attacks from Lebanese soil or face the “harshest measures.”
The warning, delivered Friday by Lebanon’s Higher Defense Council—the country’s top military authority—comes after several Palestinians and Lebanese nationals were arrested in connection with recent rocket attacks on northern Israel.
The council stressed that national stability is paramount, declaring: “Hamas and other factions will not be allowed to jeopardize Lebanon’s security. The safety of Lebanon’s territory comes above all.”
The crackdown follows a broader push by Lebanese officials to reassert control across the country, particularly in the volatile south near the Israeli border, in the aftermath of the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah conflict that ended in November with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, Hamas operatives with a presence in Lebanon have carried out several cross-border attacks. Israel has retaliated with targeted airstrikes, including a Beirut drone strike in January that killed senior Hamas military commander Saleh Arouri.
In late March, two rocket attacks on Israel triggered heavy Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon. Lebanese authorities later detained several individuals, including Palestinians, suspected of involvement. Hezbollah denied responsibility for those rocket launches.
Brig. Gen. Mohammed al-Mustafa, reading from the council’s statement, said: “The harshest measures will be taken to put a complete end to any act that infringes on Lebanon’s sovereignty.”
The meeting was attended by Lebanon’s president, prime minister, army commander, and top security officials. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam was quoted as calling for the surrender of all “illegal weapons” to the state.
The warning comes ahead of an expected visit by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Lebanon later this month.
Meanwhile, cross-border violence continues. On Friday morning, an Israeli drone struck a gas station in the southern village of Houla, injuring five people, according to Lebanon’s state-run news agency. A day earlier, Israel said it had killed a Hezbollah Radwan Force commander in a drone strike in southern Lebanon.
