Israel Launches Offensive in Lebanon

The Israeli army has launched an offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Israeli General Staff has announced that the offensive will last ‘many days.’

“We are not only acting in defense — we are now also going on the offensive. We must prepare for long days of combat ahead. This requires high defensive and sustained offensive readiness, continuous waves of action with constant use of available capabilities,” the General Staff said.

Israel has already carried out several waves of airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut and southern Lebanon following rocket attacks.

The first wave of strikes on southern Lebanon and Beirut was directed “at senior militants, headquarters, and terrorist infrastructure.”

After the first strikes on Beirut, Israel called on civilians in nearly 50 villages in eastern and southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of further attacks.

The first wave was followed by a second. The Israel Defense Forces said it had struck Hezbollah weapons depots and infrastructure in several areas of Lebanon. Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese Shiite militant group, had earlier fired rockets at the Israeli city of Haifa.

The Israeli military said that several shells fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory fell in open areas, and one of them was intercepted.

Hezbollah claims that the target of the attack was an Israeli air defense facility south of Haifa, and that the strikes were in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei and in response to “repeated acts of aggression by Israel.”

In 2024, Israel and Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire after more than a year of clashes, with the United States acting as mediator.

The Hezbollah strikes were the first attack on Israel since 2024, while the Israeli strikes on the southern suburbs were the most extensive since the 2023–2024 conflict.