Israel expands strikes on Hezbollah sites in Lebanon as Netanyahu vows intensified attacks amid cross-border escalation
Israeli airstrikes hit Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, including targets in the eastern Bekaa Valley, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to escalate military pressure on the Iran-backed group amid continued cross-border attacks.
The strikes came as Hezbollah has increasingly used fiber-optic drones against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, a tactic also seen in other modern conflicts. Netanyahu said Israel would respond with greater force, describing an expanded campaign aimed at intensifying strikes on the group’s infrastructure and operatives.
“We will hit them,” Netanyahu said in a social media video, adding that Israel is working on countering the drone threat. “What this requires of us now is to increase the blows, to increase the intensity.”
Following the comments, Lebanese state media reported that some residents began leaving Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area where Hezbollah maintains a strong presence. Airstrikes were also reported in the Bekaa Valley town of Mashghara late Monday.
Hezbollah said it carried out multiple attacks earlier in the day, including a drone strike targeting Israeli troops in northern Israel. The exchange of fire has continued despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that took effect in April.
A U.S. official said Hezbollah has ignored repeated calls to halt attacks, warning that continued escalation is unsustainable and that Israel would not be expected to absorb ongoing strikes on its territory. The official also said Hezbollah has launched hundreds of drones and rockets since the ceasefire began, undermining efforts to stabilize the situation.
Diplomatic talks between Lebanon and Israel have recently resumed for the first time in decades, with additional military-level meetings planned in Washington as part of broader efforts to reinforce the truce and address Hezbollah’s role in the conflict.
Earlier in the day, additional Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon were reported to have caused casualties, while the Israeli military said it had hit dozens of Hezbollah-related sites throughout the country. The ongoing conflict, which escalated earlier this year, has resulted in thousands of deaths in Lebanon and casualties on the Israeli side, according to official figures from both governments.
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