Hezbollah drones exploded in Israel Sunday near Lebanon border; Israel threatens Dahieh Beirut strikes for fire on communities under new ‘equation’, as ceasefire talks with Iran-US raise Lebanon stakesHezbollah aircraft exploded on Sunday morning in Israeli territory in what the IDF described as a “military area.” Israel has threatened to respond with strikes in Beirut’s Dahieh district for any fire toward Israeli communities, but did not say what would happen if attacks hit bases or areas designated as military inside Israel.In an official statement on Sunday, after alerts were triggered at 08:07, the IDF said “two suspicious aerial targets were identified that fell in the State of Israel near the border with Lebanon. There are no casualties and the incident is under investigation.” Military sources said the targets exploded in a military area and not in a civilian settlement. The closest civilian homes to the site are in the town of Shlomi.Documentation of a drone strike near Shlomi (Video: According to Section 27A of the Copyright Law)The distinction between a military area and a settlement has been in place since the ceasefire took effect and the shaping of the Israeli “equation.” Since then, military sources have been updating whether an impact occurred in a settlement or in a military zone.Finance Minister and cabinet member Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X in response: “The fire toward northern communities is a test of the Dahieh equation the prime minister announced. I call on him to implement it firmly and forcefully and to bring down buildings in Dahieh today. We are in critical days shaping the region for years to come. We promised security for the residents of the north and we must deliver.”Senior cabinet officials said last Tuesday, a day after the announcement of a renewed ceasefire with Iran, that a decision had been made according to which any Hezbollah fire intended to cross the border would lead to an Israeli strike in Beirut’s Dahieh district, despite Tehran’s threats to respond whenever Israel does so.A cabinet source said at the time: “We have ordered the army to maintain the equation we set for Hezbollah and this will be the test. If there is fire intended to cross the fence toward our communities, we will strike Dahieh and we will see what happens in Iran.”1 View gallery Bezalel Smotrich and Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Amit Shaabi)In Israel, officials noted that despite ongoing Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and particularly in Tyre, Iran has not responded or intervened on Hezbollah’s behalf. “The IDF is deepening its maneuver,” they said. “We are operating there with force and the Iranians are doing nothing. We are destroying the strategic infrastructure Hezbollah built in the Beaufort area, this is an event that will shape a corrected reality for the next 20 to 30 years for residents of the north.”According to information held by Israel, the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran refers to a “cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon.” While this appears to amount to a merging of arenas, Israel stresses the agreement will not limit the IDF and that it will oppose any such framework or any withdrawal from territories captured in southern Lebanon. A security official said over the weekend that the IDF will continue “to tear Hezbollah apart” in southern Lebanon and that the army is working to dismantle its infrastructure.