Israel’s air force struck multiple Hezbollah-linked targets across Lebanon late on Monday, including positions in the eastern Bekaa Valley, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to intensify military operations against the Iran-backed militant group.
Netanyahu’s warning came amid an uptick in Hezbollah’s use of fibre optic drones against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, a technology also widely deployed in the war in Ukraine.
“We will hit them. It's true that they are shooting drones at us, fiber optic drones. We have a special team working on that and we will solve that too,” Netanyahu said in a video posted on social media.
“What this requires of us now is to increase the blows, to increase the intensity. We will smite them hip and thigh.”
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that, following Netanyahu’s comments, some residents began evacuating Beirut’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah maintains a significant presence.
The agency also said airstrikes hit the eastern town of Mashghara in the Bekaa region overnight.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, said it carried out eight attacks earlier on Monday, including a drone strike targeting Israeli troops in Misgav Am in northern Israel.
Cross-border exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah have continued despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that has been in place since 17 April.
A U.S. State Department official told the Associated Press that Hezbollah had ignored repeated requests to halt fire on Israel, including a recent ultimatum.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel would not be expected to passively absorb attacks on its forces or civilians.
Since the ceasefire began, Hezbollah has fired more than a thousand drones and over 700 rockets in attempts to disrupt ongoing negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, the official said, adding that “the status quo is untenable”.
Diplomatic efforts have also continued alongside the fighting. Last month, Lebanon and Israel held their first direct talks in more than 30 years in Washington, with military officials expected to meet again on Friday at the Pentagon to discuss the ceasefire framework.
Israel and the United States are reportedly seeking Hezbollah’s disarmament as part of a longer-term settlement.
The State Department official said the emerging diplomatic channel between Lebanon and Israel, along with potential U.S. support for Beirut, posed a strategic challenge to Hezbollah.
“A successful ceasefire led by the government of Lebanon would strip Hezbollah of their power and their narrative,” the official said.
On the ground, violence continued to escalate. Lebanese authorities said an Israeli airstrike on the southern village of Kfar Rumman killed four people and wounded three, while additional drone strikes in the south killed three more individuals.
The Israeli military said it struck more than 70 Hezbollah infrastructure sites across Lebanon throughout the day.
