Lebanon was hit by another deadly Israeli strike overnight when a building in Zebdine, near Nabatieh in the south, was reduced to rubble, sending first responders and residents scrambling to search for victims. The attack came just hours after an Israeli raid in Beirut’s Jnah area killed at least five people and wounded 21 others, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. These strikes underline how the conflict is widening inside Lebanese territory, with civilians increasingly exposed even in areas far from the traditional front lines.
On Thursday, Hezbollah said it had launched drones and rockets at northern Israel, prompting sirens across several border communities and causing Israeli authorities to scramble air defences. The exchanges followed a broader regional escalation, with Iran launching fresh missile strikes at Israeli targets, which officials in Tel Aviv described as one of the most direct attacks by Tehran since the current round of hostilities began. The combination of Israeli‑Lebanese and Iranian‑Israeli strikes has dramatically raised fears of a wider regional war, involving multiple state and non‑state actors.
The violence is already feeding global economic anxiety, with oil prices jumping above 108 dollars a barrel for Brent crude as markets reacted to the risk of prolonged disruption across the Middle East. Investors are particularly concerned about the security of key shipping routes and energy infrastructure, given Lebanon’s proximity to major oil‑producing countries and the presence of militant groups in nearby Syria. The escalation has also prompted some Western governments to urge de‑escalation, warning that further intensification could destabilise the broader eastern Mediterranean region.