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 fragile ceasefire. In response, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for several attacks on Monday on three barracks and a military post in northern Israel, stating 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, with Tehran pointing to confusion in US positions and Israeli interference as key factors hindering a complete agreement. Speaking at the weekly foreign ministry press briefing, Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran's negotiating team, also said that future management of the Strait of Hormuz was a matter for Oman and Iran to resolve, and that proposed fees were for 'navigational services' rather than tolls.
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah erupted on 2 March. Despite a ceasefire that came into effect on 17 April, both sides have continued to exchange fire on a near-daily basis. Netanyahu stated in a video message: '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 earlier strikes targeted several towns and villages in southern Lebanon, killing three people. Israeli airstrikes also targeted towns near the ancient city of Tyre after evacuation orders were issued for 10 villages, 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 the previous day in southern Lebanon, bringing the number of Israeli soldiers killed since hostilities began to 23, along with one civilian contractor. Two far-right Israeli ministers called for an expansion of the military campaign, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich citing the need to end the threat from Hezbollah's drones, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir calling for a 'return to intensive warfare' and taking control of further territory.
