BEIRUT — Israeli warplanes struck Beirut’s southern suburbs and multiple areas across Lebanon on Monday after Hezbollah said it launched rockets and drones at a military base near Haifa in northern Israel, calling the operation retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In a statement, the Iran-aligned Lebanese group said the attack was “in defence of Lebanon and its people” and “in response to the repeated Israeli aggressions.” “The resistance leadership has always affirmed that the continuation of Israeli aggression and the assassination of our leaders, youth and people gives us the right to defend ourselves and respond at the appropriate time and place,” it said, adding that Israel “cannot continue its 15-month-long aggression without a warning response.”
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Israel answered with immediate air raids on the capital and strikes reported in several villages in south Lebanon and across the Bekaa Valley in the east. The Israeli military said it was “vigorously attacking Hezbollah throughout Lebanon,” adding: “The [Israeli military] will act against Hezbollah’s decision to join the campaign, and will not allow the organisation to pose a threat to [Israel] and harm the residents of the north.” The military accused Hezbollah of “destroying the state of Lebanon” and later said it had targeted “senior” Hezbollah members in the Beirut area and a “key” figure in the country’s south, without naming them.
- Hezbollah says its strike near Haifa was retaliation for Khamenei’s killing and ongoing Israeli attacks.
- Israeli jets hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, south Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley; military says it is targeting senior Hezbollah figures.
- Israel ordered residents of more than 50 villages in south Lebanon and the Bekaa, including Bint Jbeil, to evacuate and stay at least 1km (0.6 mile) from buildings.
- Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned Hezbollah’s move as “irresponsible” and vowed to “protect the Lebanese people.”
- Beirut filed a complaint to the United Nations in January documenting 2,036 alleged Israeli violations in the last quarter of 2025.
The evacuation orders cover a broad swath of territory and mirror the mass displacement directives Israel issued during its war in Gaza, signaling a potential expansion of hostilities along the Lebanon-Israel frontier. There were no immediate reports of casualties from Monday’s strikes.
The latest exchange marks a sharp escalation in a conflict that has simmered since the Gaza war, threatening to tip the region into a wider confrontation pitting the United States and Israel against Iran and allied groups. While Hezbollah operates independently from the Lebanese government, the group has absorbed significant blows since 2024, when Israel killed many of its military and political leaders. It remains unclear how much sustained damage Hezbollah can now inflict or whether any intervention will shift Iran’s broader strategic calculus.
Hezbollah and Israel agreed to a ceasefire in November 2024, but Lebanese officials say Israel has carried out near-daily violations since then. Beirut has repeatedly urged international partners to press Israel to halt strikes inside Lebanon, to little effect. In January, the government lodged a formal complaint with the United Nations, documenting 2,036 alleged infringements of Lebanese sovereignty in the final three months of 2025.
Lebanon’s fragile political and economic order is straining under the pressure. A government decree issued last year to disarm Hezbollah has gone unenforced after the group rejected it, arguing that its arsenal is necessary to deter Israel and defend Lebanese territory.
On Monday, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned Hezbollah’s attack as “an irresponsible and suspicious act that jeopardises Lebanon’s security and safety and provides Israel with pretexts to continue its aggression.” He added on X, “We will not allow the country to be dragged into new adventures, and we will take all necessary measures to apprehend the perpetrators and protect the Lebanese people.”
As jets roared over Beirut, smoke rose from strikes in the southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, while residents in the south and the Bekaa reported additional bombardments. The Israeli military said it would continue operations “forcefully,” even as diplomats warned that each reprisal narrows the off-ramp to avoid war on multiple fronts.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
