BEIRUT March 2, 2026 — Israel has carried out strikes on targets in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, following missile attacks launched by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah across the border into Israel.
The development was reported by Sky News on Monday, with footage showing explosions and smoke rising over the southern suburbs of Beirut, a known Hezbollah stronghold.
According to the report, Hezbollah fired a salvo of precision rockets and drones targeting an Israeli missile defence site south of Haifa. Hezbollah described the assault as retaliation linked to recent regional events, including the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In response, Israeli warplanes struck Hezbollah positions in Beirut’s southern suburbs (Dahiya district) and other areas across Lebanon. Witnesses reported multiple loud explosions that shook buildings, shattered windows, and prompted thousands of residents to flee southern Lebanon and parts of Beirut. The Israeli military issued evacuation orders for nearly 50 villages in southern Lebanon, instructing civilians to move at least 1,000 metres away from potential target zones.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) chief of general staff said: “Hezbollah opened a campaign against Israel overnight, and is fully responsible for any escalation. Any enemy that threatens our security will pay a heavy price — we will not allow any harm to come to the people of Israel and our northern border.”
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun strongly condemned both Hezbollah’s rocket launches and the Israeli strikes. He warned that “launching rockets from Lebanon undermines all the efforts and initiatives undertaken by the Lebanese state to keep Lebanon away from the dangerous military confrontations taking place in the region” and added that persisting in using Lebanon as a platform for proxy wars “will expose our country, once more, to risks.”
The incident marks a dangerous escalation that risks dragging Lebanon deeper into the widening conflict between Israel, the United States and Iran-aligned groups. It follows days of direct US-Israeli operations against Iranian targets and Iranian retaliatory strikes across the region.
No immediate casualty figures were confirmed in the initial Sky News reporting, but the situation remains highly fluid with fears of further retaliation.
This story is developing rapidly. Life News Agency will continue monitoring updates from Beirut and Jerusalem.
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