Israeli forces carried out airstrikes across Lebanon early Monday after Hezbollah launched rockets and drones toward Israel in response to the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Israeli military confirmed it had begun targeting positions linked to the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in multiple locations, including areas around Beirut and southern Lebanon.
Loud explosions were reported in Lebanon’s capital as Israeli jets struck suspected militant targets.
The attacks followed Hezbollah’s first claimed strike on Israel since a ceasefire agreement in November 2024 that had ended more than a year of cross-border fighting.
The group said the rocket and drone launches were retaliation for the assassination of Khamenei during coordinated United States and Israeli strikes on Tehran over the weekend.
Israel’s military said several rockets fired from Lebanon landed in open areas in northern Israel and caused no immediate casualties.
However, air raid sirens were triggered after reports of an incoming drone.
In response, Israel said it carried out “precise strikes” against senior Hezbollah members and operational sites across Lebanon.
Authorities also issued evacuation warnings to residents of dozens of towns and villages in southern and eastern Lebanon, areas considered Hezbollah strongholds.
The Israeli army urged civilians to leave their homes and move at least one kilometre away from potential target zones to avoid harm during the military operation.
The escalation triggered panic in several parts of Lebanon. Residents in Beirut’s southern suburbs and border communities fled their homes, with long lines of cars seen heading north toward safer areas.
Many families transported mattresses and belongings as they attempted to escape the unfolding conflict.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the rocket attacks launched from Lebanese territory, describing them as irresponsible and dangerous.
He warned that such actions risk dragging Lebanon into a wider regional war.
President Joseph Aoun also cautioned against turning Lebanon into a battlefield for regional conflicts, even as he criticized Israel’s strikes on the country.
The latest confrontation raises fears of renewed conflict in the Middle East after the massive US-Israeli offensive on Iran sparked retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the region.
