Israel conducted strikes on Lebanon, including the capital Beirut, on Monday, the military claimed, after Tehran-backed militant organization Hezbollah fired rockets toward Israel in response to the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader.
An AFP journalists reported four loud explosions in Beirut early Monday, and the Israeli military announced that it had “begun striking targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organization across Lebanon.”
An AFP writer witnessed residents in southern Lebanon fleeing in automobiles, some with mattresses fastened to the roof, after Israel issued a mass evacuation warning.
The Israeli raids came after missile and drone launches from Lebanon, Hezbollah’s first attack on Israel since a November 2023 truce agreement that ended more than a year of fighting between the two sides.
Hezbollah has been damaged by its struggle with Israel, which it entered to support Hamas after the Palestinian militant group’s lethal attack on Israel in October 2023 and the accompanying war in the Gaza Strip.
Since the ceasefire went into force, Israel has launched regular bombings on Lebanon, claiming to be targeting the militant group and accusing it of violating the truce.
According to a military statement released Monday, Israeli forces “precisely struck” key Hezbollah members in the Beirut area and another in the south.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Israeli strikes throughout the country, including in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah is dominant.
Israel then issued a warning to residents of approximately 50 cities and villages in Lebanon’s south and east, which are both Hezbollah strongholds.
“Hezbollah’s actions force the IDF (army) to act against it… For your safety, evacuate your homes immediately and move at least 1,000 meters (0.6 miles) away from your village to open areas,” army spokeswoman Ella Waweya said in a statement on X.
Hezbollah previously claimed credit for the rocket and drone attack on Israel, claiming it was in reprisal for the assassination of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a wave of US-Israeli bombings of Tehran over the weekend.
It was also “in defense of Lebanon and its people and in response to the repeated Israeli attacks,” Hezbollah noted.
An official from the group had informed AFP last week that Hezbollah would not intervene militarily in the event of “limited” US strikes on its backer Iran but would consider any attack against Khamenei a “red line.” ”.
Monday’s rocket fire was deemed “irresponsible” by Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, whose administration has advocated for Hezbollah disarmament.
Such action “endangers Lebanon’s security and safety and gives Israel pretexts to continue its attacks on it.” “Salam,” said on X.
Without mentioning Hezbollah, Salam vowed to “stop the perpetrators and protect the Lebanese people.”
Salam’s office announced an emergency meeting on Monday to examine developments and take necessary measures.
According to President Joseph Aoun, strikes from Lebanese territory pose a risk of escalating regional conflict.
He criticized the Israeli strikes but warned against moves that could turn Lebanon into a battleground for regional “wars unrelated to us.”
According to the Israeli military, “several projectiles” fired from Lebanon on Monday “fell in open areas” with no immediate reports of damage or injury.
Three hours later, air raid sirens sounded in northern Israel, warning of an impending drone attack.
“Hezbollah opened a campaign against Israel overnight and is fully responsible for any escalation,” military chief Eyal Zamir said, according to a statement.
Lebanon’s NNA reported “major displacement” from Beirut’s southern suburbs and the country’s south, near the Israeli border, as citizens fled.
Local media footage showed roadways full of cars exiting the southern suburbs.
Further south on the Mediterranean coast, an AFP journalist in Sidon witnessed long queues of cars packed with families arriving from the border.
The prime minister’s office provided a list of public schools that can accommodate displaced persons.
Lebanese authorities have frequently stated that they do not want to be involved in the region’s conflict, which began with a huge US-Israeli attack on Iran.
The Islamic Republic responded by launching a wave of missile and drone attacks on Israel and Gulf nations that host US bases.
