31 killed as Israel strikes Beirut after Hezbollah fires rockets, drones

Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon have killed at least 31 people and wounded 149 others, Lebanon’s health ministry stated on Monday, as Israel threatened to intensify its attacks following rocket and drone fire by Hezbollah.In a statement, the ministry said “Israeli enemy raids” on Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon “have resulted, in an initial count, in the killing of 31 citizens and the wounding of 149 citizens.”The Israeli military said it launched strikes across Lebanon, including in the capital Beirut, targeting Hezbollah militants after the Tehran-backed group fired rockets and drones at Israel. The attack was described as retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.“In response to Hezbollah’s projectile fire, Israeli forces have begun striking targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation across Lebanon,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the cross-border attack, saying it fired rockets and drones “in retaliation for the pure blood of Ayatollah Imam Sayyid Ali al-Husseini Khamenei and in defence of Lebanon and its people, and in response to the repeated Israeli attacks.”The escalation marks the first attack claimed by Hezbollah on Israel since a November 2024 ceasefire agreement aimed at ending more than a year of hostilities between the two sides. Israel has continued to carry out regular strikes in Lebanon since the truce, often stating they targeted militant infrastructure.An AFP journalist reported hearing several loud explosions in Beirut early Monday. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) said Israeli strikes were carried out across the country, beginning with Beirut’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a strong presence.The NNA media agency also reported “major displacement” from Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon, as residents fled the affected areas amid fears of further strikes.In a subsequent statement, the Israeli military confirmed it had targeted Hezbollah militants in the Beirut area and a militant operative in southern Lebanon.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam described the rocket attacks on Israel as “irresponsible and suspicious.” Without directly naming Hezbollah, Salam said his government would “take all necessary measures to stop the perpetrators and protect the Lebanese people.”Lebanese authorities have repeatedly stated that they do not want the country drawn deeper into the widening regional conflict, which intensified following a US-Israeli attack on Iran. That operation triggered a wave of missile and drone strikes by Tehran targeting Israel and Gulf countries hosting US military bases.