Israeli planes dropped leaflets over Beirut on Friday that urged Lebanese citizens to disarm Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, a rare move that rattled residents who fear Israel may be preparing a large-scale ground invasion.
Some of the leaflets also referred to the Israeli invasion of Gaza, which the leaflets called “a remarkable success.”
The leaflets drifted down over several neighborhoods, jolting the city with the loud booms of fighter jets overhead, after days of escalating Israeli strikes in Lebanon that have killed nearly 800 people and displaced more than 800,000.
The New York Times viewed two different leaflets dropped over the city.
One leaflet, styled like the front page of a newspaper, with the headline “The New Reality in Lebanon,” asked where the country was headed and referenced what it called the “great success in Gaza.” Much of the Palestinian enclave has been destroyed since Israel launched its invasion over two years ago in response to the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, and more than 70,000 people have been killed, according to local health officials.
Another leaflet that was dropped over Beirut read: “You must disarm Hezbollah, Iran’s shield.”
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The second leaflet collected by The Times referenced Unit 504, an Israeli military intelligence unit associated with psychological operations, and included QR codes inviting people to make contact through messaging apps and social media platforms.
Soon after they were dropped, WhatsApp messages began circulating among friends and families in Beirut, warning people not to scan the codes. Lebanon’s military also warned citizens about the risks of doing so.
Israel’s intelligence reach inside Lebanon has been laid bare in recent years. Israeli forces have repeatedly called residents’ phones to warn them to evacuate targeted areas. In 2024, Israel carried out a covert operation in which explosive devices hidden inside pagers used by Hezbollah members were detonated simultaneously across Lebanon, exposing the depth of Israeli penetration of the group.
The leaflets followed warnings issued earlier on Friday by Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz. He accused Lebanon’s government of failing to uphold its commitment to disarm Hezbollah, which for decades has been the crown jewel in Tehran’s network of proxies across the Middle East.
“The Lebanese government and the State of Lebanon will pay an increasingly hefty price in hits on national Lebanese infrastructure used by Hezbollah terrorists,” Mr. Katz said after the Israeli military struck a bridge in southern Lebanon that it said was being used by Hezbollah to transfer munitions.
Under the terms of a cease-fire reached in 2024 that ended the last conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon’s government agreed to disarm the militant group. In recent months, Beirut said it had been making progress. But Israeli officials have accused Hezbollah of moving to rebuild its capabilities faster than the Lebanese government is able to dismantle them.
After Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel last week in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, the Israeli military launched a wide-scale bombing campaign on Lebanon.
Lebanon’s government made the unusual move of banning Hezbollah’s military activity after the attack. But since then, it has become increasingly unclear whether the country’s cash-strapped military can move forcefully to disarm the group, as fears mount of potential civil instability.
Johnatan Reiss contributed reporting.
Euan Ward is a Times reporter covering Lebanon and Syria. He is based in Beirut.
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