Israel Launches Extensive Strikes on Lebanon After Hezbollah Rocket Fire

The Israeli military launched waves of airstrikes across Lebanon on Monday, targeting the capital Beirut and multiple regions in the south and east, after the Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in a significant escalation of hostilities.

The strikes mark the first major confrontation since a November 2024 ceasefire agreement ended more than a year of war between the two foes.

An AFP journalist in Beirut reported hearing several loud explosions in the early hours of Monday. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed they had “begun striking targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation across Lebanon.”

The military later stated that forces had carried out “precise strikes” on senior Hezbollah members in the Beirut area and another operative in southern Lebanon.

In a dramatic development, the Israeli army issued a sweeping evacuation warning to residents of approximately 50 towns and villages in southern and eastern Lebanon areas known as Hezbollah strongholds.

“Hezbollah’s actions force the IDF to act against it… For your safety, evacuate your homes immediately and move at least 1,000 metres away from your village to open areas,” army spokeswoman Ella Waweya said in a statement on X.

An AFP journalist on the ground witnessed residents fleeing southern Lebanon in cars, with some vehicles carrying mattresses tied to the roof as they hurried to escape the targeted zones.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported widespread displacement from Beirut’s southern suburbs and areas near the Israeli border. Local media footage showed roads clogged with cars as families attempted to reach safer ground. In the coastal city of Sidon, long lines of vehicles were seen arriving from the direction of the border.

The Lebanese prime minister’s office released a list of public schools available to shelter those displaced by the violence.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the initial rocket and drone launches from Lebanon, describing the attack as retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The group said the strikes came in response to a wave of weekend US-Israeli strikes on Tehran.

The attack was also framed as being “in defence of Lebanon and its people, and in response to the repeated Israeli attacks,” the group stated.

An official from Hezbollah had told AFP last week that while the group would not intervene militarily in the event of “limited” US strikes on its backer Iran, any attack against Khamenei would be considered a “red line.”

The Israeli military reported that “several projectiles” fired from Lebanon landed in open areas, causing no immediate damage or injuries. Hours later, air raid sirens warned of an incoming drone in parts of northern Israel.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned Monday’s rocket fire as “irresponsible,” warning that such actions endanger Lebanon’s security and provide Israel with pretexts for continued aggression.

Without explicitly naming Hezbollah, Salam vowed to “stop the perpetrators and protect the Lebanese people.” He announced plans to convene an emergency meeting to discuss the developments and take necessary measures.

President Joseph Aoun also weighed in, condemning the Israeli strikes while cautioning against actions that could drag Lebanon into regional conflicts “unrelated to us.”

Hezbollah has been significantly weakened by its prolonged conflict with Israel, which it entered in solidarity with Hamas following the Palestinian group’s deadly October 2023 attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.

While a ceasefire was established in November 2024, Israel has continued to carry out regular strikes on Lebanon, typically citing Hezbollah truce violations. Monday’s escalation, however, represents a substantial broadening of hostilities.

Military chief Eyal Zamir placed full responsibility for the escalation on Hezbollah, stating that the group “opened a campaign against Israel overnight.”

The developments come amid heightened regional tension following a massive US-Israeli attack on Iran, which prompted a wave of missile and drone launches from the Islamic Republic toward Israel and Gulf nations hosting US bases.