Israel escalates military response to Hezbollah militant attack in Lebanon

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At approximately 2:30am local time on Monday, Israeli attacks on Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburbs, resulted in at least 31 fatalities and 149 injuries. Nader Hani Akil, who was present at the scene, described the chaos as he fled his home with his family. “I was sleeping when bombing and rocket attacks started,” he stated.

Hezbollah responded to Israeli attacks by launching a barrage of missiles and drones towards an Israeli military site in Haifa. Israel claimed to have killed senior Hezbollah leaders in the attacks on southern Lebanon and Dahiyeh. The Israeli government also issued mass displacement notices to over 50 towns and villages in southern and eastern Lebanon.

The scenes of traffic congestion and people fleeing the area recalled previous conflicts between Israel and Lebanon, including the 2023-2024 war. Hezbollah stated that its attack was in response to the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by Israeli strikes on Tehran.

US officials told MTV Lebanon that they no longer considered a ceasefire in Lebanon to be in effect and would not intervene to stop Israel’s attacks on Lebanon. They also demanded that the Lebanese government designate Hezbollah as a “terrorist organization,” stating that otherwise there would be no distinction between the two.

On Monday, the Lebanese government outlawed Hezbollah’s security and military activities and ordered the arrest of those involved in the rocket strikes. The Israeli government responded to Hezbollah’s barrage with loud booms, prompting residents of Beirut to wake up.

Source: Al Jazeera