Dozens of people have been killed following an intensive wave of Israeli air strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to intensify military operations against Hezbollah.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, at least 31 people, including several children, were killed in the latest bombardments.
The Israel Defense Forces said it targeted more than 100 Hezbollah infrastructure sites and fighters during what has been described as one of the heaviest nights of attacks since a US-brokered ceasefire began in mid-April.
The escalation followed remarks by Netanyahu earlier this week in which he said he had instructed Israeli forces to “press the pedal even harder” against Hezbollah.
Speaking during a security cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Netanyahu said Israel was “deepening our operation in Lebanon.”
“The IDF is operating with large forces on the ground and seizing dominant terrain,” he said, adding that Israeli troops were fortifying a security zone aimed at protecting northern Israeli communities from Hezbollah attacks.
The violence has further threatened the fragile ceasefire arrangement, with both Israel and Hezbollah accused of repeated violations amid ongoing regional tensions involving the United States and Iran.
Israeli air strikes reportedly targeted the Bekaa Valley village of Mashghara and Burj al-Shamali in southern Lebanon.
Some of the strikes occurred near Beaufort Castle, a nearly 900-year-old fortress recognised by UNESCO as one of the best-preserved medieval castles in the region.
In a video statement on Monday, Netanyahu said Israel would increase both the number and intensity of strikes targeting Hezbollah in response to attacks involving fibre-optic drones capable of evading Israeli air defences.
“We will deal them a crushing blow,” he said.
The statement triggered panic in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, as thousands of residents attempted to flee the area amid fears of broader attacks.
Although the capital itself was not directly targeted, Israeli warplanes carried out repeated strikes across nearly 50 locations throughout Lebanon overnight.
Local reports said a man and his wife were killed in an air strike on their home in the southern town of Arab Salim, while two others died in the village of Kauthariyet El Rez.
In Mashghara, several homes were destroyed overnight.
Lebanon’s health ministry said rescue teams recovered the bodies of 11 people from the rubble, including a woman and two children, while 15 others were injured.
Among the survivors was seven-year-old Mohammed, who was rescued from beneath the debris after rescue workers spent hours digging through the collapsed structure.
“When I woke up, I felt like I couldn’t move, and beside me was just darkness,” Mohammed told the BBC from his hospital bed.
His father and two sisters were reportedly killed in the strike.
The destruction in Mashghara left parts of the town deserted, with damaged homes and businesses scattered across the area.
A local municipal official identified as Ahmad said residents believed the strikes were targeting civilians as well as Hezbollah-linked areas.
“I’m not a member of Hezbollah, but everyone in the village stands with the resistance, and the enemy is sparing no one,” he said.
The Israeli military later released aerial footage from Mashghara, claiming it showed strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure sites where militant activity had been identified.
Israel also said it targeted more than 90 weapons storage facilities, command centres, observation posts, and other Hezbollah infrastructure sites overnight.
On Tuesday morning, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders across parts of Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire agreement that took effect on April 17.
Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said Hezbollah’s repeated breaches had left Israel with “no choice” but to intensify operations.
Hezbollah, however, said it launched attacks on three barracks and a military post in northern Israel in response to Israeli violations of the ceasefire.
The latest escalation came after Israel announced that one of its soldiers had been killed during combat operations in southern Lebanon on Sunday.
According to Israeli figures, 23 soldiers and one civilian contractor have been killed in Hezbollah-related attacks since the conflict escalated on March 2.
Lebanon’s health ministry, meanwhile, said Israeli strikes during the same period have killed at least 3,185 people.
