Israel Strikes Lebanon as Hezbollah Launched Rockets Entering the War

Israel expanded its military campaign on Monday to include large-scale airstrikes across Lebanon after Hezbollah launched its first direct cross-border rocket and drone attack since the November 2024 ceasefire, formally opening a northern front in the widening Iran conflict.

Shortly after midnight, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a coordinated rocket and drone attack on northern Israel, describing it as “revenge for the blood of the Supreme Leader of the Muslims, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.”

The group said the strike also responded to what it called repeated Israeli violations in Lebanon.

The Israeli military confirmed rockets were launched from southern Lebanon. One was intercepted, while others fell in open areas. No injuries or major damage were reported.

At around 7:00 a.m. local time, sirens also sounded across Israel, including in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as Iranian state media announced a new wave of missiles launched from central Iran toward “enemy locations.”

Within minutes of Hezbollah’s attack, Israel began retaliatory airstrikes across Lebanon. Targets included Beirut’s southern suburbs - Dahiyeh - a Hezbollah stronghold, sites in southern Lebanon, locations in the Bekaa Valley, and what Israel described as infrastructure and senior Hezbollah figures.

An Israeli official told Al Hadath that the Lebanon operation “will be broad and comprehensive and may include an invasion.”

Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reported 31 killed and 149 wounded in a preliminary toll from Israeli airstrikes.

The exchange marks the first cross-border projectile strike by Hezbollah since the November 2024 U.S.-brokered Israel-Lebanon ceasefire.

Israel issued evacuation warnings to residents of nearly 50 villages in southern Lebanon, saying Hezbollah was “fully responsible for any escalation.”

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned Hezbollah’s rocket fire as an “irresponsible and suspicious act” that risks Lebanon’s security and provides Israel justification for further strikes.

The fighting comes as Israel and the United States continue their joint campaign against Iran, which began Saturday. The Israeli military said late Sunday it had established aerial superiority over Tehran and struck intelligence, security, and military command centers. U.S. forces have hit more than 1,000 Iranian targets since major combat operations began, according to the U.S. military.

A senior White House official told Reuters that “Operation Epic Fury continues unabated,” and that while U.S. President Donald Trump may at some point speak with new potential Iranian leadership, the military campaign would proceed.

In interviews, Trump said operations could last at least four weeks and vowed strikes would continue until “all our objectives are achieved.”

The first confirmed U.S. casualties were announced Sunday, with three service personnel killed at a base in Kuwait, according to two U.S. officials speaking on condition of anonymity. Trump called them “true American patriots” and warned that further casualties were likely.

Domestically, the operation carries political risk. Only about one in four Americans approve of the campaign, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Sunday.

Senator Lindsey Graham urged escalation, writing: “Mr. President, unleash the American military with Israel on Hezbollah tonight. Finish these bastards off!”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had struck three U.S. and UK oil tankers in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz and attacked military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain with drones and missiles. Shipping data showed hundreds of vessels dropping anchor as traders anticipated sharp jumps in crude prices.

Global air travel was heavily disrupted. Major Middle Eastern airports, including Dubai - the world’s busiest international hub - remained closed. Asian airline shares fell more than 5% in some cases, marking one of the largest aviation interruptions in recent years.

As Israel expands operations into Lebanon and Iran signals continued retaliation, the conflict has shifted from a bilateral confrontation into a multi-front regional war with mounting civilian and economic costs.