As tensions continue to escalate between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel has launched a series of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah positions in Lebanon. On Monday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it had hit over 300 Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon. The strikes come in response to Hezbollah's recent rocket and missile attacks on northern Israel, including around 150 projectiles launched on Sunday. The ongoing conflict, which began in October, has displaced thousands and shows no sign of easing.
In a bold move, Israeli authorities sent text messages to civilians in southern Lebanon, warning them to evacuate buildings believed to house Hezbollah weapons. "If you are in a building housing weapons for Hezbollah, move away from the village until further notice," the message read, according to local reports. The Israeli military claimed that Hezbollah had embedded its military infrastructure in civilian areas, storing rockets and ammunition in homes and public spaces.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog reiterated Israel's defensive stance, stating on social media, "Israel does not seek war. But we have the right and the duty to defend our people." Herzog posted footage allegedly showing Hezbollah's missile stockpiles inside civilian buildings. He questioned, "What nation would accept its citizens living under such a threat from its neighbors?"
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has been steadily intensifying. Since the October 7 Hamas attacks on southern Israel, Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, has launched repeated strikes on Israel in support of Hamas. Hezbollah's deputy leader, Naim Kassem, declared that Hezbollah's latest rocket attacks were only the beginning of what he called an "open-ended battle" with Israel. Hezbollah's rocket barrage on Sunday resulted in impacts as far as Haifa, a city about 25 miles from the Israeli-Lebanese border, marking one of the deepest strikes by the group in the past year.
In Lebanon, the fallout has been severe. On Monday, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported that 100 people were killed and more than 400 wounded in Israel's latest round of airstrikes, marking the deadliest day in Lebanon since the conflict began. Most of the casualties occurred in southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley, regions where Hezbollah is deeply entrenched. Additionally, Israeli strikes hit new areas far from the border, including Byblos, about 81 miles north of the border, and Baalbek, where a shepherd was killed and two family members were injured.
The situation is becoming increasingly dire for Lebanese civilians caught in the crossfire. Lebanon's Health Ministry has urged hospitals in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley to postpone non-emergency surgeries, preparing for an influx of casualties from what they termed Israel's "expanding aggression."
Israel's military operations on Monday were framed as a preemptive measure to weaken Hezbollah's capabilities. According to the IDF, these strikes aimed to degrade Hezbollah's ability to fire more rockets and missiles into Israeli territory. Israeli officials have reiterated that they have no plans for a ground invasion of Lebanon at this time, focusing instead on aerial operations to cripple Hezbollah's infrastructure.
The conflict has now taken on broader regional dimensions, with fears of an all-out war involving Israel and Hezbollah, especially as Israel continues its military campaign in Gaza. Hezbollah has vowed to continue its strikes in solidarity with Hamas and the Palestinians. Since the conflict began, more than 600 people in Lebanon have been killed, including over 100 civilians, according to local reports. Meanwhile, the death toll in Israel and Gaza continues to climb, as both sides endure near-daily exchanges of fire.
Hezbollah's aggression comes in the wake of a mysterious series of explosions last week that targeted communications devices-pagers and walkie-talkies-belonging to Hezbollah members. These attacks, which killed at least 37 people and injured around 3,000, have been widely attributed to Israel, although Israeli officials have neither confirmed nor denied involvement.
As Israel seeks to defend its northern border and prevent further rocket attacks, Hezbollah appears determined to continue its campaign. The militant group launched rockets at Israeli military posts in the Galilee and again targeted the facilities of the Rafael defense firm in Haifa. In response, Israel ramped up its own attacks on Hezbollah, warning that the situation could escalate further if Hezbollah continues its strikes.
