Israel Prepares for Expanded Strikes in Lebanon as Conflict Escalates

LONDON — The Israeli military is poised to launch widespread strikes across Lebanon early Monday, escalating the border conflict with Hezbollah and raising fears of a full-blown war.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari announced plans for extensive strikes against Hezbollah “terrorist infrastructure” in the border region and beyond.

“Shortly, the IDF will engage in extensive, precise strikes, against terror targets which have been embedded widely throughout Lebanon,” Hagari stated early Monday.

“We advise civilians from Lebanese villages located in and next to buildings and areas used by Hezbollah for military purposes, such as those used to store weapons, to immediately move out of harm’s way for their own safety.”

Israeli President Israel Katz declared on social media that Israel “will act with full force” to alter the situation in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, according to Katz, “has taken the people of Lebanon hostage, placing missiles and weapons in their homes and villages to threaten Israel’s civilians.”

“This is a clear war crime,” Katz asserted. “We will not accept this reality.”

“The people of Lebanon must evacuate any home turned into a Hezbollah outpost to avoid harm,” Katz continued. “We will not stop until the threat is removed from Israel’s citizens and the residents of the north return safely to their homes.”

Thousands of Lebanese cell phone users received a text message from the IDF on Monday warning: “If you are in a building where Hezbollah weapons are located, stay away from the village until further notice.” Similar warnings were broadcast over Lebanese radio.

The latest Israeli warnings follow a weekend of intense cross-border fire, with hundreds of rockets, missiles, and drones launched into Israel by Hezbollah met with hundreds of Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon.

Fighting between the IDF and Hezbollah has been ongoing since October 8, when the Iranian-backed militant group initiated attacks into Israel in protest of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip targeting Hamas. Hezbollah has pledged to continue its attacks until Israeli forces withdraw from Palestinian territory.

Tens of thousands of Israelis have fled border regions under Hezbollah fire since the fighting began. Their return is a top priority for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.

“We will take whatever action is necessary to restore security and to bring our people safe back to their homes,” Netanyahu stated Sunday.

Israeli leaders are also demanding that Hezbollah withdraw beyond the Litani River – some 18 miles north of the Israeli border – as stipulated in a 2006 United Nations Security Council resolution intended to end the last major cross-border war.

“If the world does not withdraw Hezbollah north of Litani in accordance with Resolution 1701 – Israel will do so,” Katz stated Sunday.

The conflict intensified last week with Israel’s detonation of Hezbollah communication devices in Lebanon and Syria, which Nasrallah described as an “unprecedented blow” for the group.

Two consecutive days of explosions – which killed at least 37 people and wounded 2,931, according to Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad – were followed by the killing of Hezbollah operations chief Ibrahim Aqil and 14 other members in a Beirut airstrike.

The bombing in the Hezbollah-aligned Dahiya suburb killed at least 45 people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. The dead included at least three children – aged 4, 6, and 10 – and seven women, the ministry said. Dozens more people were wounded.

Hezbollah leaders have declared their intent to continue operations despite last week’s setbacks.

Deputy Secretary General Naim Qasem spoke at Aqil’s funeral in Beirut on Sunday, telling hundreds of mourners that the conflict has now entered “a new phase” which he called an “open-ended battle of reckoning”.

“Threats won’t stop us, and we don’t fear the most dangerous possibilities,” he continued. “We are ready to face all military scenarios.”

Israeli communities in the north of the country are prepared for further escalation. The IDF issued new security guidance on Sunday closing schools and beaches in the region, while the Rambam Hospital in Haifa transferred all ward patients to an underground facility.

This weekend, the State Department reissued its level 4 “do not travel” warning for Lebanon, noting “recent explosions throughout Lebanon, including Beirut.”

The Department’s July warning for American citizens to “depart Lebanon while commercial options still remain available” is unchanged. “At this time, commercial flights are available, but at reduced capacity,” the advisory said.

“If the security situation worsens, commercial options to depart may become unavailable.”

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to Israel’s right to defend itself and stressed the importance of achieving a diplomatic solution to return citizens to their homes in the north” in a Sunday phone call with Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant, per a Pentagon readout.

Austin also “emphasized his concern for the safety and security of U.S. citizens in the region,” the Pentagon said.