Israel strikes Lebanon following Hezbollah attacks, widening Iran conflict

Israel launched new air strikes targeting Tehran and expanded its military campaign to include attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon on Monday, as U.S. President Donald Trump signaled the U.S.-Israeli military assault on Iranian targets could continue for weeks.



Israel said it was attacking sites connected to Lebanon's Shi'ite Muslim armed group Hezbollah, one of Tehran's principal allies in the Middle East, after Hezbollah acknowledged launching missiles and drones toward Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.



The Israeli military said it intercepted a projectile launched from Lebanon, while others landed in open areas of the country.



Israel carried out air strikes on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday, with more than a dozen explosions rocking the Lebanese capital. Israel said it also struck senior Hezbollah militants near Beirut.



People fled on foot and by car in Beirut, clogging the roads, after the series of strikes began around 2:40 a.m.



Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in 2024 after more than a year of fighting that left Hezbollah severely weakened.