Israel escalates strikes in Lebanon as Netanyahu vows to 'crush' Hezbollah
The Israeli army has intensified its military operations in southern Lebanon, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring he has ordered an escalation of the offensive aimed at 'crushing' Hezbollah. This move further undermines an already fragile ceasefire agreement that has been in place since April.
In response, Hezbollah announced on Monday that it had launched multiple attacks on three barracks and a military post in northern Israel, citing violations of the ceasefire by Israel as justification for its actions.
The intensifying conflict occurs against a backdrop of diminishing prospects for a swift agreement between the United States and Iran. Tehran has pointed to inconsistencies in US positions and Israeli interference as major obstacles to reaching a comprehensive deal.
Speaking at a weekly press briefing, Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran's negotiating team, stated that future management of the Strait of Hormuz is a matter for Oman and Iran to resolve bilaterally. He clarified that what is being proposed are not tolls but 'fees for navigational services'.
In the early hours of Tuesday, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in northern Israel. These included at least four drone strikes on the Shomera barracks, attacks on two other barracks in the region, and an assault on a military post in Misgav Am, carried out at short intervals around midday.
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah resumed on 2 March, and despite a ceasefire that took effect on 17 April, both sides have continued to exchange fire almost daily.
'I have ordered an even greater acceleration of our operations,' Netanyahu said in a video statement on his Telegram channel. '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.'
Following the call for escalation, an Agence France-Presse correspondent observed residents 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 several towns and villages in southern Lebanon, killing three people in two cars and on a motorcycle, NNA reported. Israeli airstrikes then targeted towns near the ancient city of Tyre, following evacuation orders for 10 villages, with Israel accusing Hezbollah of breaching the truce.
Hezbollah has regularly launched drone attacks against Israeli forces inside Lebanese territory and across the border, including several on Monday. According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli strikes since early March have killed more than 3,100 people.
The Israeli military also announced on Monday that a soldier had been killed the previous day in southern Lebanon, bringing the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since the outbreak of hostilities with Hezbollah to 23. One civilian contractor has also been killed.
Two far-right Israeli ministers called for an expansion of the military campaign in Lebanon. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in an occupied West Bank settlement, stated on Telegram: 'There is an urgent need to put an end to the threat posed by Hezbollah's explosive drones.' National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for a 'return to intensive warfare' and for 'taking control' of further territory.
