Hezbollah attacks Israel, prompting strikes on Lebanon
Hezbollah attacked Israel to avenge the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, which led to an Israeli attack on Beirut and put the group at odds with Lebanese leaders who wanted the country to be kept out of a regional war.
Lebanon’s health ministry said Monday that 31 people were killed in Israeli attacks on Hezbollah-controlled southern Beirut suburbs and southern Lebanon.
People fled the southern suburbs on foot and in cars, blocking roads. More than a dozen powerful explosions shook the capital at around 2.40am.
The violence has further widened the conflict that has spread across the Middle East since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday.
Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim group founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in 1982, is one of Tehran’s main allies in the Middle East.
Israel blamed Hezbollah for the escalation of tensions after the group said it fired rockets and drones in revenge for Khamenei’s “pure blood” and in response to repeated Israeli attacks.
The Israeli military said no injuries or damage were reported in Israel.
While Hezbollah’s attack was the first against Israel since the war in 2024, its attacks on Israel’s southern suburbs were the heaviest since that conflict.
“Hezbollah launched a campaign against Israel overnight and is fully responsible for any escalation of tensions,” Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said in a statement. he said.
In his later statement, he said that Israel had launched an attack campaign against Hezbollah and said, “We must prepare for wars that will last long days ahead.”
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the Israeli attacks but also warned against using Lebanon as a platform for wars, saying this would “once again expose our nation to danger.”
Aoun, whose administration has adopted a policy aimed at disarmament of Hezbollah since he took office with the support of the United States a year ago, said, “This is something that the state will not allow and will not accept to be repeated.”
Lebanese state media reported that after a phone call with Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar, the prosecutor instructed the security forces to immediately arrest those who fired rockets at Israel.
Hezbollah’s weapons have long been a point of division in Lebanon, torn apart by a 1975-1990 civil war, and demands to disarm the group have intensified since the 2024 war with Israel.
The group emerged from this war greatly weakened; leader Hassan Nasrallah and thousands of his fighters were killed.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that launching rockets from Lebanon was irresponsible and endangered Lebanon’s security.
The first wave of attacks was followed by an Israeli warning ordering residents of dozens of villages in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate.
The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including senior Hezbollah members in the Beirut area.
Hezbollah said the attack targeted an Israeli military missile defense facility south of the city of Haifa.
The Israeli army said that several shells that passed through Lebanon fell in open areas and one shell was intercepted by the Israeli air force.
Since the US-backed ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon in 2024, Israel has carried out regular attacks on targets designated by Hezbollah as targets in Lebanon and accuses the group of seeking rearmament.
