West Asia conflict stretches to Lebanon as Israel strikes Hezbollah targets in Beirut, across country, in response to projectile fire

TEL AVIV: The escalating conflict in West Asia widened on Monday as Israel launched airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon, following projectile fire from Lebanese territory into northern Israel.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) said in a series of posts on X that it carried out targeted strikes against senior members of Hezbollah in the Beirut area in response to the projectile fire launched toward Israel, particularly towards the north of the country.

“The Air Force struck a short time ago in a targeted manner, senior terrorists from the Hezbollah terror organization in the Beirut area. In parallel, the IDF struck a central terrorist from the Hezbollah terror organization in southern Lebanon. Further details to follow,” the Israeli Air Force said.

Breaking: Israeli Air Force Strikes Hezbollah Positions in Hadatha, Southern Lebanon pic.twitter.com/NszWqlspTY

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According to the military, several projectiles crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with some falling in open areas. In certain cases, no alerts were activated in accordance with policy.

“Following alerts that were activated in several areas in the north of the country, the Air Force intercepted a launch that crossed from Lebanon; individual launches fell according to policy. No injuries or damage were reported,” the IAF said in a separate post.

In an initial report, the Israeli military confirmed that sirens were activated in several areas in northern Israel after launches from Lebanese territory, adding that details were under investigation.

The IAD said it was striking Hezbollah targets “with force” across Lebanon, accusing the group of operating under the backing of the Iranian regime and of opening fire on Israeli civilians.

“The terrorist organization Hezbollah, operating under the auspices of the Iranian terrorist regime, opened fire against the State of Israel and its citizens. The IDF will act against the terrorist organization Hezbollah’s decision to join the campaign and will not allow the organization to pose a threat to the State of Israel or harm residents of the north,” the military said in another post.

The Israeli military further stated that Hezbollah was responsible for the escalation and warned of a forceful response and that its forces had prepared for such a scenario under Operation “Roaring Lion” and were ready for a multi-front conflict.

“In response to projectile fire toward northern Israel, the IDF is striking Hezbollah targets across Lebanon. Hezbollah is operating on behalf of the Iranian regime, opening fire against the Israeli civilians, and bringing ruin to Lebanon. IDF troops have prepared for such a scenario as part of Operation ‘Roaring Lion’, and are prepared for an all-fronts scenario,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated in a post.

The latest exchange of fire marks a significant widening of hostilities in the region, which has witnessed an unprecedented amount of projectile firing across several regional countries.

This came following US-Israel joint military strikes on Iran that led to the death of the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his family on Sunday.

Following the strikes, Iran launched a wave of strikes, using drones and missiles targeting multiple arab countries in the region, as a retaliatory action by the Islamic Republic. (ANI)