Israel launched air strikes on Beirut and other parts of Lebanon early Monday after Hezbollah fired rockets and drones toward a military base near Haifa, in what the Lebanese armed group described as retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The exchange marks a sharp escalation in a widening regional conflict that has drawn in Iran, the United States and several Gulf states.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry says more than 30 killed in the Israeli attacks.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that at least 31 people were killed and 149 injured in the strikes on the capital and surrounding areas.
Hezbollah said its attack was carried out “in defence of Lebanon and its people” and in response to what it called repeated Israeli aggressions.
The group, which operates independently of the Lebanese government, has largely refrained from responding to near-daily Israeli strikes since a ceasefire was reached in November 2024.
Israel said it struck senior Hezbollah members in the southern suburbs of Beirut and a key figure in south Lebanon, without providing further details.
The Israeli military said it was “vigorously attacking Hezbollah” throughout the country and warned residents in more than 50 villages in southern and eastern Lebanon, including Bint Jbeil, to evacuate.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam described Hezbollah’s action as “an irresponsible and suspicious act that jeopardises Lebanon’s security and safety and provides Israel with pretexts to continue its aggression”.
The violence in Lebanon comes as Israel expands military operations against Iranian targets, following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran that began on Saturday.
Air raid sirens sounded across Israel on Monday morning amid reports of new Iranian missile launches.
Explosions were reported in Tehran, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted U.S. and UK assets in the Gulf.
The White House said the campaign against Iran would continue, and President Donald Trump indicated operations could last weeks.
The first U.S. casualties were confirmed on Sunday, with three service members killed at a base in Kuwait.
The escalating exchanges have disrupted oil shipping and air travel across the region, raising concerns of a prolonged and expanding conflict.