The Israeli army has intensified strikes in southern Lebanon, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to escalate its offensive in an effort to 'crush' Hezbollah, further eroding an already fragmented ceasefire. Hezbollah responded by staging several attacks on Monday on three barracks and a military post in northern Israel, claiming they were 'in response to the violation of the ceasefire' by Israel.
The intensifying conflict comes amid waning hopes for an imminent deal between the US and Iran. Tehran has pointed to confusion in US positions and Israeli interference as key factors hindering a complete agreement. Speaking at a weekly foreign ministry press briefing, Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran's negotiating team, also stated that future management of the Strait of Hormuz is a matter for Oman and Iran to agree on, and that proposed fees are for navigational services, not tolls.
In the early hours of Tuesday, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in northern Israel, including at least four drone attacks on Shomera barracks, attacks on two other barracks, and an attack on a military post in Misgav Am. Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah erupted on 2 March, and despite a ceasefire on 17 April, both sides have continued to exchange fire almost daily.
Netanyahu said in a video statement, 'I have ordered an even greater acceleration of our operations... We will intensify our blows, increase our firepower, and we will crush them.' Following his call for escalation, residents were seen fleeing the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold. The Israeli air force carried out successive strikes in the Bekaa valley in eastern Lebanon on Monday evening, according to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA).
Dozens of Israeli strikes earlier targeted towns and villages in southern Lebanon, killing three people. Israeli airstrikes also targeted areas near Tyre after evacuation orders were issued for ten villages, with Israel accusing Hezbollah of breaching the truce. According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli strikes since early March have killed more than 3,100 people. The Israeli military announced that a soldier had been killed in southern Lebanon, bringing the number of Israeli soldiers killed since the outbreak of hostilities to 23, along with one civilian contractor.
Two far-right Israeli ministers called for an expansion of the military campaign. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said there is an urgent need to end the threat from Hezbollah's explosive drones, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for a 'return to intensive warfare' and for 'taking control' of further territory.
