The IDF released video footage showing what it described as an overnight strike targeting Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon. Israel reportedly targeted weapons depots and other infrastructure across the country.
In a statement, the Israeli military said it had launched another wave of strikes across multiple areas of the country, targeting Hezbollah sites including weapons depots and other infrastructure.
At least 31 people were killed in the attacks, Lebanon’s health ministry said on Monday. The ministry added that 149 people were wounded. It said nearly two-thirds of those killed were in southern Lebanon, as cited by AP.
IDF chief of staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir said the military has launched an “offensive campaign” against Hezbollah that is expected to last several days.
Speaking during an assessment following overnight rocket and drone attacks on Israel, he said, “we have begun an offensive campaign against Hezbollah. We are not just on the defensive, now we go on the offense," as cited by the Times of Israel.
“We need to prepare for several days of fighting, many. We need strong defensive readiness and continuous offensive preparedness, in waves,” Zamir added.
Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire on Monday, as US president Donald Trump said the conflict with Iran could continue for weeks and pledged to avenge the deaths of US service members.
Israel said it was striking Hezbollah targets across Lebanon after the group launched rockets and drones toward Israeli territory. In a statement, the military said that “in response to Hezbollah's projectile fire toward the State of Israel,” its forces had “begun striking targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation across Lebanon.”
The Israeli military issued evacuation warnings to residents of about 50 towns and villages in Lebanon, citing imminent strikes on Hezbollah positions.
Residents in Beirut woke to explosions around 3 am (local time) as Israeli strikes hit the city’s southern outskirts. The attacks targeted Dahiya, a densely populated commercial and residential district considered a Hezbollah stronghold.
Since the November 2024 ceasefire that formally ended fighting with Hezbollah, Israel has maintained strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon.
Strikes near the capital, however, have been rare under the truce.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the rocket attacks on Israel were undermining his government’s efforts to keep Lebanon out of a wider regional conflict.
