Israel's threat to 'reduce Beirut to rubble'

ISRAEL is prepared to use the full might of its armed forces to “reduce Beirut to rubble” in the next few weeks if a diplomatic solution with Hezbollah isn’t found.

- Marco Giannangeli

Speaking just five miles from the Lebanese border, a senior IDF commander told the Sunday Express they were determined to enable tens of thousands of Israeli families to return to their homes.

More than 60,000 men, women and children have been forced to evacuate within 30 miles of the frontier to become “internal refugees” since October 7 when Lebanon’s Hezbollah began a barrage of rocket attacks in support of Hamas further south in Gaza.

Lt Col Yarden, an IDF brigade commander, who cannot reveal his full name for security reasons, said: “Kids have lost an entire year of school. It has been a tragedy. Tourism and agriculture are dead.