Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese village of Ej Jarmaq. AFP
"Hezbollah is playing with fire, and the president of Lebanon is dragging his feet," Katz said in a statement.
"The Lebanese government's commitment to disarm Hezbollah and remove it from southern Lebanon must be implemented. Maximum enforcement will continue and even intensify -- we will not allow any threat to the residents of the north (of Israel)."
An Israeli strike in southern Lebanon killed four people Saturday, the Lebanese health ministry said, as Israel's ramped-up attacks raise fears for a nearly year-long truce with Hezbollah.
Despite a November 2024 ceasefire, Israel maintains troops in five areas in southern Lebanon and has kept up regular air strikes claiming to target Hezbollah.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday accused Israel of responding to its offer to negotiate by intensifying its air strikes.
"Lebanon is ready for negotiations to end the Israeli occupation, but any negotiation... requires mutual willingness, which is not the case," Aoun said on Friday.
Israel "is responding to this option by carrying out more attacks against Lebanon... and intensifying tensions", he added during a meeting with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.
The strikes came a two days after the Israeli military killed a municipal worker in a raid in the Lebanese border village of Blida.
Aoun ordered the army on Thursday to confront such incursions.
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 25 people in October, including one Syrian, according to an AFP toll based on figures from the Lebanese health ministry.
On Tuesday, the spokesman for the UN rights commission, Jeremy Laurence, said Israeli forces had killed 111 civilians in Lebanon since the ceasefire went into effect.
Short link: