Israel launches air strikes on Lebanon after Hezbollah attack

2026-03-02 - 07:54

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM — A senior Israeli general said on Monday the military would intensify its attacks on Lebanon, after launching strikes in response to rocket fire claimed by Hezbollah. Israel carried out air strikes on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut, with more than a dozen explosions rocking the Lebanese capital. Israel said it also struck senior Hezbollah militants near Beirut. Israel said it was attacking sites linked to Hezbollah, one of Tehran's principal allies in the Middle East, after the militant group acknowledged launching missiles and drones toward Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. “Hezbollah chose the Iranian regime over the State of Lebanon and initiated an attack on our civilians... they will pay a heavy price,” said Rafi Milo, head of the Israeli military’s Northern Command. “The strikes continue, their intensity will increase,” he was quoted as saying in a military statement.The Israeli military said Hezbollah was "fully responsible for any escalation" and warned residents of dozens of villages in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate. Israel’s military chief has said the fighting against Hezbollah that began early on Monday could take “many” more days. “We have launched an offensive campaign against Hezbollah,” Eyal Zamir said in a video shared by the military on Monday and cited by AFP, hours after rocket fire claimed by the Lebanese militant group prompted a wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon. “We must be prepared for several days of fighting – many.” The Hezbollah and Israel tit-for-tat attacks, which follow a US-brokered ceasefire in 2024, widen the conflict that has spread through the Middle East since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday, sending oil prices soaring and snarling air travel. — Agencies