Hezbollah says its attack is in response to the killing of Iran’s Khamenei and ‘in defence of Lebanon and its people’.
Israeli jets have bombed Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, after Hezbollah launched what it said was a rocket and drone attack against a military base near Haifa in northern Israel.
The Iran-allied Lebanese armed group said early on Monday that its attack was in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “in defence of Lebanon and its people” and “in response to the repeated Israeli aggressions”.
“The resistance leadership has always affirmed that the continuation of Israeli aggression and the assassination of our leaders, youth and people gives us the right to defend ourselves and respond at the appropriate time and place,” the group said in a statement, referring to the near daily Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
“The Israeli enemy cannot continue its 15-month-long aggression without a warning response to halt this aggression and withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories.”
Lebanon’s state-run news agency, NNA, reported that the Israeli strikes resulted in an initial death toll of 31 people killed and 149 injured.
The violence marks a major escalation in what is becoming a regional war between the United States and Israel, on one side, and Iran and its allies on the other.
Hezbollah, which operates independently from the Lebanese government, has been weakened by the 2024 war, which saw Israel kill most of the group’s military and political leaders. It is not clear how much damage it can inflict on Israel or whether its intervention can meaningfully alter the balance of power for Iran.
Israel was quick to respond with air strikes in southern Beirut. Local news outlets also reported Israeli attacks in several villages in south Lebanon, as well as the Bekaa Valley in the east of the country.
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,” it said.
“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.”
The Israeli military later said that it targeted “senior” Hezbollah members in the Beirut area and a “key” figure in south Lebanon, without providing details.
Israel also called on people in more than 50 villages in south Lebanon and Bekaa the Valley, including the town of Bint Jbeil, to evacuate their homes and stay at least 1km (0.6 mile) from the buildings.
The warning for such a vast area appears to mirror the mass displacement orders Israel would issue during its genocidal war on Gaza.
The escalation could deepen the crisis in Lebanon, which has been suffering from economic and political woes for years.
Hezbollah and Israel reached a ceasefire in November 2024, but Israel has been violating the truce and carrying out attacks across the country almost daily.
The Lebanese group had refrained from responding to Israeli strikes, urging the Lebanese government to assume its responsibility and protect the country instead.
The authorities in Beirut have been pleading with the international community to pressure Israel to end its violations to no avail.
In January, Beirut filed a complained with the United Nations documenting 2,036 Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty in the final three months of 2025.
Last year, the Lebanese government issued a decree to disarm Hezbollah, but the group rejected the decision, arguing that its weapons are needed to protect the country against Israeli expansionism.
On Monday, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the Hezbollah attack was “an irresponsible and suspicious act 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.