Israel attacks Beirut when Hezbollah sends a rocket attack

In retaliation for an alleged rocket and zzwww⅔ attack on a military base near Haifa in Northern Israel, Hezbollah and Israel unleashed what it describes as a bombardment of the Lebanese capital of Beirut by Israeli jets.

The Lebanese armed forces, allied to Iran, claimed at the start of Monday morning that it had decided to attack in response to the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “in self-defence of Lebanon and its citizens” and as retaliation to the repeated aggression by Israel. 

In a statement, the group said, “The resistance leadership has always affirmed that the continuation of Israeli aggression and assassination of our leaders, youth and people gives us the right to defend ourselves and respond at the appropriate time and place.”

“The Israeli enemy cannot continue it’s 15 month long aggression without a warning response to halt this aggression and withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories.”

The violence is a significant step towards a regional war between the United States and Israel on the one hand and Iran and its allies on the other. The 2024 war, in which Israel assassinated the majority of military and political leaders of Hezbollah, has weakened Hezbollah, which is autonomous of the Lebanese government. It is not clear how much damage it can cause to Israel and whether its intervention can significantly change the balance of power in the case of Iran.

The Israeli military said it was “vigorously attacking Hezbollah” throughout Lebanon. 

” The Israeli military will act against Hezbollah’s decision to join the campaign and will not allow the organisation to pose a threat to Israel and harm the residents of the north.

“The Hezbollah terror organisation is destroying the state of Lebanon. Responsibility for the escalation  lies with it, and the Israeli​​​ military will respond forcefully to this harm.”

Israel also urged inhabitants of over 50 villages in South Lebanon and the Bekaa valley, including the town of Bint Jbeil, to vacate their homes and remain at least 1 km or 0.6 miles away from the buildings. The threat to such a large territory seems to reflect the mass displacement edicts that Israel would make during its genocidal war on Gaza. The intensification may worsen the Lebanese crisis, which has been marked by economic and political turmoil over the years.

On Monday, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the Hezbollah attack was an “irresponsible and suspicious activity that jeopardises Lebanon’s security and safety and provides Israel with pretexts to continue its aggression.”

“We will not allow the country to be dragged into new adventures, and we will take all necessary measures to apprehend the perpetrators and protect the Lebanese people,” Salam said on X.