Netanyahu says Israel will intensify strikes against Hezbollah

Israel's military says it has begun a wave of strikes across Lebanon following an announcement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his country will intensify its attacks on Hezbollah. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had launched strikes against Hezbollah in the eastern Bekaa Valley and other parts of the country. Hezbollah, a Shia Muslim armed group in Lebanon backed by Iran, said it had retaliated by carrying out 22 drone and rocket attacks and that its targets included Israeli so

Earlier this month, Lebanon and Israel agreed to extend a 45-day ceasefire which began in mid-April, though attacks between Israel and Hezbollah have continued. On Tuesday morning, the IDF said it had "struck more than 100 Hezbollah infrastructure sites and terrorists". Twelve people are said to have been killed in an attack on the village of Mashghara in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanese local media reported. The IDF said several strikes were conducted "within seconds against Hezbollah infrastructure sites [in Mashghara] where terrorists [sic] activity was identified". It added "the terrorists were eliminated" during the attack. The Israeli military has issued an evacuation order for the southern town of Nabatieh due to possible strikes. Hours earlier, in a video statement, Netanyahu said Israel was "at war with Hezbollah" and the military has been told to "deal them a crushing blow". Netanyahu said Israel's military offensive against Hezbollah had "eliminated... over 600 terrorists in the last few weeks". He continued: "But what this requires of us now is to increase the strikes, to increase the intensity." Two far-right Israeli ministers, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, have called for an expansion of the military campaign, including into Beirut. Hezbollah said it had used drones and rockets to attack sites across southern Lebanon and northern Israel on Monday, in response to what it called Israel's "violation of the ceasefire". The Israeli authorities are particularly concerned about the use of new fibre optic drones by Hezbollah, which has been using them to strike Israeli troops now occupying a strip of land in the south of the country, as well as Israeli villages on the other side of the border.

Key points

• Earlier this month, Lebanon and Israel agreed to extend a 45-day ceasefire which began in mid-April, though attacks between Israel and Hezbollah have continued.
• On Tuesday morning, the IDF said it had "struck more than 100 Hezbollah infrastructure sites and terrorists".
• Twelve people are said to have been killed in an attack on the village of Mashghara in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanese local media reported.
• The IDF said several strikes were conducted "within seconds against Hezbollah infrastructure sites [in Mashghara] where terrorists [sic] activity was identified".
• It added "the terrorists were eliminated" during the attack.