Israel Launches Offensive in Lebanon After Hezbollah Enters War

Hezbollah fired rockets and unmanned aerial vehicles into northern Israel overnight, prompting immediate Israeli airstrikes in Beirut and southern Lebanon. Sirens sounded across the Carmel and Bay area as the IDF confirmed it had begun offensive operations.

“We have launched an offensive campaign against Hezbollah,” IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said during a General Staff assessment. He added: “Hezbollah opened the campaign against Israel overnight. Responsibility for this escalation lies with them.”

The IDF said several projectiles were launched from Lebanese territory toward northern Israel. Some were intercepted, while others fell in open areas. Hezbollah claimed it targeted an Israeli missile-defense facility south of Haifa, framing the attack as revenge for what it described as “the pure blood” of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

In response, the IDF struck dozens of Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including commanders, headquarters and military infrastructure. A vehicle carrying two Radwan unit operatives was hit in the Kfar Dajjal area. The IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson issued evacuation warnings to residents in 53 villages in southern Lebanon.

“The Hezbollah terrorist organization, operating under the sponsorship of the Iranian terror regime, opened fire against the State of Israel and its civilians,” the IDF said. Zamir added: “We are not only on defense, we are now going on the attack. We must prepare for many days of intense fighting.”

An Israeli security official told Al-Hadath: “No politician or military figure in Hezbollah has immunity, nor do its supporters.”

Saudi network Al-Hadath reported that overnight strikes between Sunday and Monday killed Mohammed Raad, head of Hezbollah’s bloc in the Lebanese Parliament. The report has not been independently confirmed by Israel or Hezbollah.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said 31 people were killed and 149 wounded in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and in the Dahiya district of Beirut. Saudi channel Al-Hadath reported, citing sources, that Mohammed Raad, head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc and deputy to Secretary-General Naim Qassem, was killed in the strikes. The report has not been independently confirmed by Israel or Hezbollah.

Large traffic congestion was reported as residents fled southern Lebanon toward Beirut amid the expanding strikes.

The Lebanese government convened an emergency meeting following Hezbollah’s entry into the fighting. According to Lebanese reports, the session opened with a moment of silence “in mourning for those killed in the recent strikes.” Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the rocket fire from Lebanese territory, stating: “The rocket fire from southern Lebanon is an irresponsible act that endangers Lebanon’s security and gives Israel pretexts to continue attacking it.”

Sources cited by Al-Hadath said official Lebanon views Hezbollah’s move as “a huge mistake” and is weighing possible steps in response.

The IDF said it had prepared in advance for the possibility that Hezbollah would join the conflict as part of its operational planning under Operation “Roaring Lion.” In recent days, approximately 100,000 reservists were mobilized, the majority deployed to the northern sector.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department ordered American citizens to leave Lebanon immediately. Separately, the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait urged Americans to shelter in place due to missile and drone launches from Iran, signaling growing regional spillover beyond the Israel-Lebanon front.