Israel Strikes Lebanon After Netanyahu’s ‘Crush Hezbollah’ Order; Beirut Residents Seen Fleeing

Last Updated:May 26, 2026, 02:10 IST

Following Israel’s escalation warning, residents in Beirut’s southern suburbs — a stronghold of Hezbollah — were seen fleeing the area amid fears of wider strikes.

Israel on Monday launched a fresh wave of airstrikes across Lebanon after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to “crush" Hezbollah amid escalating cross-border tensions.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it struck more than 70 Hezbollah infrastructure sites across several parts of Lebanon using around 85 munitions. In the Tyre region alone, Israeli forces targeted nearly 10 command centres, weapons depots and other facilities allegedly used by Hezbollah.

The Israeli military also claimed that Hezbollah operatives travelling on motorcycles were killed during the strikes.

The escalation comes at a sensitive moment as the United States and Iran continue negotiations aimed at ending the wider Middle East conflict — talks that could also impact the Lebanon front, where Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in hostilities since March 2.

Although a ceasefire came into effect on April 17, both Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah have continued exchanging fire almost daily.

“I have ordered an even greater acceleration of our operations," Netanyahu said in a video statement posted on Telegram.

“It is true that they are attacking us with drones, including fibre-optic drones, but we have teams working on countermeasures and we will solve this issue. We will intensify our blows, increase our firepower, and we will crush them," he added.

Following Israel’s escalation warning, residents in Beirut’s southern suburbs — a stronghold of Hezbollah — were seen fleeing the area amid fears of wider strikes.

The latest attacks came after Israel issued evacuation orders for 10 villages in southern Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire agreement.

“In light of Hezbollah’s violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Israel Defence Forces are compelled to operate against it with force," IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Colonel Avichay Adraee said in a social media statement while listing the targeted villages.

Later in the day, Israel issued additional evacuation warnings for residents of a building in Rashidieh and two buildings in Burj al-Shamali near the city of Tyre.

Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, has repeatedly launched drone attacks targeting Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon and near the border, including multiple attacks on Monday.

According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli strikes since early March have killed more than 3,100 people.

The Israeli military also announced that one of its soldiers was killed in southern Lebanon on Sunday, bringing the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since the conflict with Hezbollah escalated to 23. One civilian contractor has also died.

Israel currently controls a strip of land around 10 kilometres deep inside Lebanese territory and has declared the Litani River as the boundary beyond which Hezbollah fighters must withdraw.

Amid the escalating conflict, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun defended his decision to engage in talks with Israel, while reiterating that a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon remained “non-negotiable".

Despite having no formal diplomatic ties, Lebanon and Israel are set to hold another round of negotiations in Washington on June 2 and 3. The talks will be preceded by a meeting between military officials from both countries at the Pentagon on May 29.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem renewed his opposition to direct negotiations with Israel and again rejected calls for the group to disarm.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticised Qassem’s remarks, accusing him of seeking to “overthrow" the Lebanese government and drag the country “back into chaos".

Responding to Rubio, Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar accused Washington of interfering in Lebanese affairs and destabilising the country.

The renewed escalation has further raised fears that the Israel-Hezbollah front could spiral into a wider regional conflict even as diplomatic efforts continue behind the scenes.

(With AFP inputs)

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