Dozens of people, including children, were killed after Israel launched one of its heaviest waves of air strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon in recent weeks following a pledge by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to intensify military operations against Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s health ministry said at least 31 people died in the latest bombardment, while many others were injured as Israeli warplanes carried out more than 120 strikes targeting multiple areas overnight.
The Israel Defense Forces claimed the attacks targeted more than 100 Hezbollah infrastructure sites, weapons storage facilities, command centres and fighters.
Speaking during a security cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said Israel was “deepening” its operations in Lebanon and had instructed the military to “press the pedal even harder” against Hezbollah.
He said Israeli ground forces were operating extensively in southern Lebanon while fortifying a so-called security zone aimed at protecting northern Israeli communities from Hezbollah attacks.
The latest escalation threatens to further undermine a fragile US-brokered ceasefire that has repeatedly been violated by both Israel and Hezbollah since coming into effect in mid-April.
Despite the ceasefire, Israeli air strikes and artillery attacks have continued almost daily in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah has continued launching rockets and drones into northern Israel.
Several air strikes reportedly hit the Bekaa Valley village of Mashghara and areas in Burj al-Shamali, with some explosions occurring near the historic Beaufort Castle — a UNESCO-recognised medieval fortress.
The strikes triggered panic in parts of Beirut’s southern suburbs, a known Hezbollah stronghold, after Netanyahu’s warning of intensified attacks. Thousands of residents were reportedly seen fleeing in vehicles overnight in fear of further bombardment.
In Mashghara, several homes were completely destroyed. Lebanese authorities said the bodies of 11 people, including a woman and two children, were recovered from the rubble, while 15 others suffered injuries.
Among the survivors was a seven-year-old boy named Mohammad, who was rescued from beneath the debris hours after a missile struck his family home.
The child reportedly lost his father and two sisters in the attack.
“When I woke up, I couldn’t move and everything around me was dark,” Mohammad said while receiving treatment in hospital.
Local residents described the town as devastated and nearly deserted following the strikes, with entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble.
The Israeli military later released aerial footage which it claimed showed attacks on Hezbollah infrastructure in Mashghara, adding that militants identified in the area had been eliminated.
Israel also issued fresh evacuation warnings across parts of Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of repeatedly violating ceasefire terms.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah announced it had targeted several Israeli military positions in northern Israel in response to what it described as Israeli breaches of the ceasefire agreement.
The latest escalation came after the Israeli military announced one of its soldiers was killed during combat operations in southern Lebanon on Sunday.
According to Lebanese health authorities, at least 3,185 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the conflict began on March 2, with thousands more displaced as violence continues to spread across the region.
