Israel’s military deployed its troops to several additional points in south Lebanon to “enhance forward defence” in response to continued Hezbollah attacks, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.
The military also carried out strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut on a second consecutive day of strikes in the Lebanese capital.
“The IDF is currently conducting simultaneous strikes in Tehran and Beirut. The Israeli Air Force has begun targeted strikes against military objectives of the Iranian terror regime and the Hezbollah terrorist organisation,” Israel’s military said on Tuesday.
Hezbollah said in multiple statements that it targeted three Israeli bases, including the Ramat David air base and the Meron base in northern Israel, with drones.
On Monday, the Tehran-backed militant group launched drone and missile attacks on Israel, triggered by the killing of Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday. Israeli forces responded by striking Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs, as well as southern and eastern Lebanon.
The Israeli military said it killed a senior Hezbollah official, Hussein Mokaled, as well as struck over 70 weapons storage facilities, launch sites and missile launchers belonging to Hezbollah.
According to the Lebanese government’s health ministry, at least 52 people were killed and 154 were injured in Lebanon.
Lebanon issues total ban on Hezbollah military activities
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned Hezbollah’s decision to enter the conflict during an emergency Cabinet meeting on Monday.
“There is a side that wants to drag the country to matters that we have nothing to do with,” he said, according to the information ministry.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced Monday a total ban on all military activities by Hezbollah, demanding the group surrender its weapons to the state. He called the attacks “irresponsible acts” that endanger national security.
Hezbollah said its attacks were in retaliation for the killing of Khamenei and “in defence of Lebanon and its people”, as well as in response to continued Israeli strikes on Lebanon despite the 2024 ceasefire.
The Israeli military said Hezbollah bore full responsibility for the escalation. “Hezbollah made a deliberate decision to attack Israel in defence of the Iranian terrorist regime and will bear the consequences,” it said.
Israel also issued evacuation orders to around 50 communities across southern and eastern Lebanon, with strikes resulting in mass displacement.
171 shelters were opened across the country, currently housing 29,000 displaced persons, Lebanon’s Minister of Social Affairs Hanin al-Sayed said.
During the Israel-Hezbollah war in 2024, more than 1 million people were displaced in Lebanon at one point, many of whom were never able to return as their villages were left in ruins.