Hezbollah prepared plan to occupy Beirut, fearing new Israeli offensives in southern Lebanon

Hezbollah has prepared a contingency plan to occupy large swathes of Lebanon, including the capital, Beirut, fearing that Israel plans to capture more areas of the country and that the ostensibly moderate political leadership might cooperate with Jerusalem.

The terror group’s preparations come against the background of the ongoing demolition of terror infrastructure in the Israeli-held part of southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah is launching dozens of drones and rockets at IDF troops and Israeli towns, including its largest drone swarm to date on Tuesday.

Walla News reported that the contingency plan was created as Hezbollah Sec.-Gen. Naim Qassem has come under increasing pressure from recent developments undermining its strength and support within Lebanon.

🎥 WATCH: Exclusive footage of living quarters used by Hezbollah terrorists.

During special operations to clear terrorist infrastructure from the Litani area, south of the Forward Defense Line, 100+ military targets were struck.
Targets dismantled include:
- compounds used by… pic.twitter.com/qDQ5sQeMHE

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 12, 2026

This includes the erosion of its infrastructure but also discontent among hundreds of thousands of Shiite citizens who fled the IDF's advance in the south amid ongoing negotiations between Beirut and Jerusalem.

Given this situation, as well as fears that Israel could renew its offensive if the talks fail, Hezbollah reportedly created a systematic action plan to occupy Beirut and push out “pragmatic elements” like President Joseph Aoun and his government.

This would effectively turn Hezbollah’s already significant behind-the-scenes influence into direct military control over parts of the country.

The IDF has escalated its airstrikes in southern Lebanon in recent weeks in response to ceasefire violations by Hezbollah, particularly its use of first-person view (FPV) drones, which it has struggled to intercept.

Since the ceasefire in April, Hezbollah has made extensive use of FPV explosive drones against IDF forces in southern Lebanon. Some of them are fiber-optic guided. These commercial, low-cost drones can cost as little as $300. Reliance on fiber-optic guidance completely… pic.twitter.com/9rx69bTDmJ

— Israel-Alma (@Israel_Alma_org) May 11, 2026

Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine reported on Tuesday that 380 people have been killed and 1,122 wounded since the ceasefire began, including 39 women and 22 children.

Without differentiating between terrorists and civilians, Nassereddine accused Israel of a “systematic, ongoing attack on civilians.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Forces announced that it had eliminated some 350 terrorists in southern Lebanon in recent weeks, noting that they posed a threat to Israeli civilians and IDF troops and therefore had a right to respond by striking under the ceasefire terms.

The IDF said that more than 1,100 Hezbollah targets were struck, including “structures used for military purposes from which Hezbollah terrorists operated, weapons storage facilities, loaded launchers ready to fire, and additional infrastructure.”

On Wednesday, the Israeli military reported that it conducted a large-scale wave of airstrikes on 40 additional targets, including several “ready-to-use launchers aimed toward Israeli territory,” before announcing the start of another wave of strikes shortly after.

Also on Wednesday, Hezbollah launched at least a dozen drones and rockets at Israeli targets following its largest-yet coordinated attack using a swarm of drones on Tuesday, according to i24 News.

“This is the most intense drone attack against Israel to date,” a security source said.

In a first wave, two drones hit and wounded two IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon, while two other drones hit a target along the border and sparked a fire.

Within an hour, a second wave of at least six drones circled above the same target for minutes, waiting for the ideal time to strike, without being intercepted.

“I saw two hit the target, and within five seconds, we identified another one hovering between the buildings, looking for people. You can see everything with your own eyes – the fiber-optic spool, the drone itself, and a huge explosive charge,” a soldier recounted.