The Israeli military carried out strikes across Lebanon, including the capital, Beirut, on Monday, targeting militants, following rocket attacks by Tehran-backed Hezbollah in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
In a statement, the Israeli military said that “in response to Hezbollah’s projectile fire, Israeli forces have begun striking targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation across Lebanon.”
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that it had fired rockets and deployed drones “in retaliation for the pure blood of… Ayatollah Imam Sayyid Ali al-Husseini Khamenei, in defence of Lebanon and its people, and in response to repeated Israeli attacks.”
This marks the first attack Hezbollah has claimed against Israel since a ceasefire agreement in November 2024, intended to end a year of conflict between the two sides. Israel has since conducted periodic strikes in Lebanon, which it usually says are directed at Hezbollah positions.
An AFP journalist reported hearing several loud explosions in Beirut early on Monday.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Israeli strikes across the country, beginning with the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Hezbollah maintains strong influence.
The NNA also cited “major displacement” from Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon as residents sought to flee the affected areas.
The Israeli military later confirmed that its operations had targeted Hezbollah militants in the Beirut area and a militant position in southern Lebanon.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the attacks on Israel as “irresponsible and suspicious”.
Without directly naming Hezbollah, Salam said his government would “take all necessary measures to stop the perpetrators and protect the Lebanese people".
Lebanese authorities have repeatedly emphasised that they do not wish for their country to be drawn into regional hostilities, which escalated following a US–Israeli strike on Iran, prompting a series of missile and drone attacks by Tehran on Israel and Gulf states hosting US military bases.
