Israel dropped leaflets over Beirut on Friday, urging Lebanese civilians to press for Hezbollah’s disarmament in a move that combined anti-Hezbollah messaging with an apparent outreach by an IDF intelligence unit.
One leaflet opened with the words “O Lebanese!” and called on the Lebanese public to “disarm Hezbollah, Iran’s arm,” adding, “Lebanon is your decision, not someone else’s.” The message urged civilians not to leave their futures hostage to “the weapons of Iranian Hezbollah.”
Another leaflet was designed to resemble a newspaper, titled “The New Reality in Lebanon.” It read, “In light of the spectacular success in Gaza, The New Reality newspaper is arriving in Lebanon,” followed by the question, “Where is our country heading?”
The leaflets included QR codes and references to the IDF’s Unit 504, responsible for covert and clandestine operations and often dubbed "the IDF's Mossad. In one flyer, the text said Unit 504 was “working to ensure the future of Lebanon and its people” and invited readers who wanted to be part of “real change” to reach out.
The leaflet drop comes as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues to intensify, with Israel pairing its military campaign with increasingly direct messaging aimed at the Lebanese public.
The move quickly drew attention in Lebanon for both its political message and the security risks posed by the digital links embedded in the flyers. Lebanese authorities warned the public not to scan the QR codes, saying they could expose users to surveillance, hacking attempts, or data collection, according to Lebanese reports.
IDF cccuses Hezbollah of making military use of civilian, medical infrastructure
The IDF said on Saturday that it struck about 110 Hezbollah command centers since the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion, noting that it has "severely damaged the organization’s command and control capabilities, its financial situation, and the weapons in its possession."
The military stated that Hezbollah "systematically embeds its infrastructure within the civilian population across Lebanon," adding to a previous statement that said Hezbollah was making military use of ambulances and medical facilities.
The military said it would “continue to operate with determination” against Hezbollah, accusing the Iran-backed terror group of deliberately attacking Israel on Tehran’s behalf.
Israel rejects Lebanese ceasefire proposal
On Friday, Israel rebuffed a historic offer of direct talks from Lebanon, deeming it too little too late from a government that shares its goal of disarming Hezbollah but cannot act against the heavily armed Lebanese group without risking a civil war.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressed the state's willingness to begin direct negotiations with Israel this week, seeking to secure an end to the conflict that erupted on March 2 when Hezbollah entered the regional war in support of its patron Iran.
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told the UN Security Council this week that Israel could not negotiate with Lebanon "while rockets are flying into our northern border," adding, "The time has come to decide: will Lebanon stick to declarations or actually act?"
Reuters contributed to this report.