Israel carried out airstrikes in Lebanon on Monday after Hezbollah launched missiles and drones towards Israel to avenge the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
More than a dozen explosions rocked Beirut, in the most intensive strikes on the southern suburbs since a war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2024.
People fled on foot and by car, clogging the roads, after the series of strikes began around 2:40 a.m. (0040 GMT).
The Israeli military said it had begun striking Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including senior Hezbollah members in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
“Hezbollah opened a campaign against Israel overnight, and is fully responsible for any escalation,” Israeli Chief of the General Staff, Eyal Zamir, said in a statement.
The Israeli military issued a warning ordering residents of dozens of villages in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate.
“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.
The Israeli military said several projectiles that crossed from Lebanon fell in open areas and one was intercepted by the Israeli airforce.
“No injuries or damages were reported,” it said.
Hezbollah said it had targeted an Israeli military missile defense facility south of the city of Haifa in revenge for “the pure blood” of Khamenei and in response to what it described as repeated Israeli attacks.
It was the first time the group has carried out such an attack since the 2024 war.
“The resistance leadership has always emphasized that the continuation of Israeli attacks and the assassination of our leaders, youth, and people gives us the right to defend ourselves and respond at the appropriate time and place,” Hezbollah said in a statement.
Since a US-backed ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon in 2024, Israel has carried out regular strikes against what it has identified as Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, accusing the group of seeking to rearm.
It was Israel’s first attack on the southern suburbs since it killed the group’s top military official, Ali Tabtabai, in November.
Israel also carried out airstrikes in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, Lebanese security sources said.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the firing of projectiles from south Lebanon was irresponsible, calling it a suspicious act that jeopardized Lebanon’s security.
Without naming Hezbollah, Salam vowed to “stop the perpetrators and protect the Lebanese people.”
Salam will convene an emergency meeting on Monday “to discuss the developments… and to take the necessary measures,” his office said in a statement.
Lebanon’s presidency said on Saturday it had been told by the US ambassador that Israel would not escalate against Lebanon as long as there are no hostile acts from the Lebanese side.
