Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered attacks on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut, signalling further escalation of a war that has complicated mediation towards resolving the US-Iran conflict.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said on Monday that Israeli attacks in Lebanon were among factors causing a delay to the diplomatic process to end the US-Iran war, reiterating that a Lebanon ceasefire was an integral part of any deal.
Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the Israeli military to attack "terrorist targets" in the southern suburbs of Beirut, known as Dahiyeh, following Hezbollah's "repeated violations" of a ceasefire and "attacks against our cities and citizens", a statement from Netanyahu's office said.