Israeli jets struck Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, after Hezbollah said it launched a rocket and drone attack on a military base near Haifa in northern Israel.
The Iran-allied Lebanese armed group said early on Monday that its attack was in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “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,” Hezbollah said in a statement, referring to near-daily Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
“The Israeli enemy cannot continue its 15-month-long aggression without a warning response to halt this aggression and withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories,” it said.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported an initial toll of 31 people killed and 149 injured in the Israeli strikes.
The violence marked a major escalation in what was described as a regional war between the United States and Israel on one side, and Iran and its allies on the other.
Hezbollah, which operates independently of the Lebanese government, has been weakened by the 2024 war, in which Israel killed most of the group’s military and political leaders. It was not clear how much damage it can inflict on Israel, or whether its intervention can meaningfully alter the balance of power for Iran.
Local outlets also reported Israeli attacks in several villages in south Lebanon and in the Bekaa Valley in the east of the country.
The Israeli military said it was “vigorously attacking Hezbollah” throughout Lebanon. It said it would act against Hezbollah’s decision to join the campaign and would not allow the group to threaten Israel and residents in the north.
The Israeli military later said it targeted “senior” Hezbollah members in the Beirut area and a “key” figure in south Lebanon, without providing details.
Israel also urged residents in more than 50 villages in south Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, including the town of Bint Jbeil, to evacuate and stay at least 1km (0.6 mile) away from buildings.
The escalation could deepen Lebanon’s crisis after years of economic and political turmoil.
Hezbollah and Israel reached a ceasefire in November 2024, but Israel has carried out attacks across Lebanon almost daily, according to the report. Hezbollah had largely refrained from responding, urging the Lebanese government to protect the country instead.
Authorities in Beirut have appealed to the international community to pressure Israel to end the violations, the report said.
It said Beirut filed a complaint with the United Nations in January documenting 2,036 Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty in the final three months of 2025.
Last year, the Lebanese government issued a decree to disarm Hezbollah, but the group rejected the decision, saying its weapons are needed to protect the country against Israeli expansionism.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Monday that the Hezbollah attack was “an irresponsible and suspicious act that jeopardises Lebanon’s security and safety and provides Israel with pretexts to continue its aggression”.
“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,” Nawaf Salam said on X.
Source: Al Jazeera
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