Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz on Monday announced that they had instructed the military to carry out strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs following what they described as repeated ceasefire violations by Hezbollah.
In a joint statement, the Israeli leaders said the decision was taken in response to continued Hezbollah attacks, including rocket and drone strikes targeting northern Israeli cities.
According to reports by Israel’s Channel 12 News, the move followed approval from the United States for Israel to expand its military operations in Lebanon. The expanded campaign reportedly shifts the focus beyond southern Lebanon to include airstrikes in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
Meanwhile, Nabih Berri said on Sunday that Hezbollah remained committed to a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire. Speaking through Lebanon’s National News Agency, Berri argued that the main obstacle to ending the conflict was the continuation of Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
He said Israeli attacks had displaced thousands of Lebanese civilians and led to the destruction of villages and homes across multiple regions. According to Berri, any meaningful effort to reduce tensions would require guarantees ensuring a complete halt to Israeli military actions.
The escalation comes as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had captured the strategic Beaufort Castle after entering the Beaufort Ridge and Wadi al-Saluki areas in southern Lebanon.
The IDF stated that the operation was aimed at establishing operational control over the Beaufort Ridge and Wadi al-Saluki region while degrading Hezbollah’s military capabilities. According to the Israeli military, Hezbollah had used the Beaufort Ridge as a command and operational centre from which numerous attacks were launched.
Prime Minister Netanyahu also confirmed that he had instructed the IDF to broaden its ground incursion into Lebanon.
Earlier on Monday, an Israeli soldier from an elite commando unit was killed in southern Lebanon after a Hezbollah drone carrying explosives struck the area. Three other Israeli soldiers were wounded in the attack, including one who sustained serious injuries, in the village of Yohmor.
The IDF said Hezbollah continued to launch rockets and drones towards northern Israel throughout Monday morning. While several projectiles were intercepted, others landed in open areas, with no casualties reported.
The Israeli military also announced that it had destroyed the launcher used by Hezbollah to fire rockets towards the city of Tiberias in northeastern Israel on Sunday night. No injuries were reported in that attack.
The latest developments mark a further escalation in the ongoing conflict along the Israel-Lebanon border, despite continuing calls for a ceasefire and diplomatic efforts to prevent a wider regional confrontation.
With IANS inputs