Netanyahu Says Israel Has 'Something To Do' In Lebanon, IDF Launches Fresh Strike Hours Later

Last Updated:June 24, 2026, 22:56 IST

The strike was the second incident reported by Israel within hours and comes amid renewed focus on the security zone policy outlined by Netanyahu earlier on Wednesday.

Hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel still had “something to do" in Lebanon and defended plans for a security belt along the border, the Israeli military said it carried out a fresh strike inside southern Lebanon targeting suspected Hezbollah operatives.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday said a vehicle carrying suspects crossed into the “security zone" established by Israel in southern Lebanon near the Ali al-Taher Ridge area and was deemed a threat to troops operating in the region.

“A short while ago, a vehicle carrying suspects was identified crossing the security zone in the Ali al-Taher Ridge area, posing a threat to IDF soldiers," the military said in a statement.

The Israeli Air Force subsequently struck the vehicle “in order to remove the threat", the military added, saying it would not allow Hezbollah operatives to endanger Israeli troops.

The strike was the second incident reported by Israel within hours and comes amid renewed focus on the security zone policy outlined by Netanyahu earlier on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Muni Expo conference, Netanyahu said Israel was establishing a security belt in southern Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah from launching attacks across the border. He also signalled that Israeli operations in Lebanon were not over, declaring: “There is still something we must do in Lebanon."

Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz also claimed that the United States has not demanded that Israel withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon, a condition set by Lebanon in ongoing ceasefire negotiations.

“We have announced that in any case we are not withdrawing and, as of this moment — and this is a diplomatic achievement — there is no American demand for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon," Katz said in an interview at a convention of local leaders in Tel Aviv.

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Shankhyaneel Sarkar

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has c...Read More

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