On March 2, 2026, Israel launched airstrikes across Lebanon, including in the capital Beirut, targeting senior members of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. The strikes came in direct response to rocket and drone launches from Lebanese territory into Israel, which Hezbollah claimed responsibility for as retaliation for the recent killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
At least ten people were reported killed in Lebanon amid loud explosions that echoed through Beirut early in the morning. Civilians fled affected areas in panic, with many heading toward safety amid the renewed violence.
Hezbollah described its attack as a response to the crossing of a “red line” following Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death, which occurred during joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran that began on February 28, 2026. The group stated the action was in defense of Lebanon and its people, and in response to repeated Israeli aggressions. This marked the first claimed attack by Hezbollah on Israel since the November 2024 ceasefire that had ended more than a year of intense conflict between the two sides.
Israel stated that its strikes precisely targeted senior Hezbollah members in Beirut and southern Lebanon. The Israeli military issued mass evacuation warnings to residents in several towns across southern and eastern Lebanon—areas with strong Hezbollah influence—urging people to move at least one kilometer away for their safety. Israel’s military chief declared that Hezbollah had opened a campaign overnight and bore full responsibility for any escalation.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the rocket fire as “irresponsible,” warning that it placed the country at risk and provided Israel with justification to intensify its attacks. He emphasized that Lebanon risked being dragged into a wider war unrelated to its interests and called an emergency meeting in Beirut. Salam also noted that public schools had been opened to serve as shelters for displaced civilians.
Hezbollah has been significantly weakened following prolonged conflict with Israel, which it entered in support of Hamas after the October 2023 attacks. The latest developments, with Iran directly involved following the killing of its supreme leader, have spread the conflict further, ending the fragile ceasefire and raising fears of a broader regional confrontation.
Civilians in affected Lebanese areas rushed to flee the sites of conflict as the region reeled under the threat of wider war. The escalation forms part of a multifront crisis that has already seen major strikes on Iran, retaliatory actions affecting Gulf states, and disruptions to global aviation and shipping.