Beirut, Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday ordered the military to attack targets in the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh. The move followed what Israel described as repeated ceasefire violations and attacks against its cities and citizens.
Order to strike
A statement from Netanyahu’s office said Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the Israel Defense Forces to attack “terrorist targets” in the Dahiyeh district in Beirut.
Continued clashes
Israeli troops and Hezbollah have continued to exchange fire since a mid-April ceasefire, with Hezbollah using cheap, easy-to-assemble kamikaze drones that are difficult for air defences to stop and that have killed several Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.
Wider conflict impact
The fighting in Lebanon has been the broadest spillover of the Iran war, displacing more than 1.2 million Lebanese through Israeli strikes and evacuation orders since March 2, when Hezbollah began firing rockets and drones into Israel to support its ally Iran.
Casualties and displacement
The Lebanese government says the incursion has killed more than 3,370 people so far. Israel says 24 soldiers and four civilians have been killed over the same period, while tens of thousands of people in northern Israel have also been displaced by Hezbollah rockets and drones.
