The renewed offensive comes as diplomatic efforts involving the United States and Iran continue in parallel to end a wider regional conflict that has drawn in multiple fronts across the Middle East, including the Israel-Hezbollah confrontation along the Lebanese border.

In a video statement, Netanyahu said he had directed the Israeli military to accelerate operations against the Iran-backed militant group, citing continued drone attacks on Israeli positions.

“I have ordered an even greater acceleration of our operations,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel would intensify its military campaign and increase firepower against Hezbollah.

The Israeli military subsequently launched a series of strikes across the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon and targeted multiple locations in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.

Lebanese media reported that at least three people were killed in separate strikes involving two vehicles and a motorcycle. Additional airstrikes were reported near the coastal city of Tyre and in other areas of southern Lebanon.

The escalation followed evacuation warnings issued by the Israeli military for residents in 10 villages in southern Lebanon. Israeli authorities accused Hezbollah of violating the April 17 ceasefire agreement through continued attacks on Israeli forces and territory.

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said operations were being conducted in response to Hezbollah activities that breached the truce.
Hezbollah said it had carried out several drone attacks against Israeli military positions on Monday and later announced strikes targeting three military barracks and an additional post in northern Israel. The group described its actions as retaliation for Israeli violations of the ceasefire.

Despite the agreement reached in April, hostilities have persisted almost daily, underscoring the fragility of efforts to stabilize the Israel-Lebanon frontier.
The violence prompted visible displacement in parts of Lebanon. Residents were seen leaving neighborhoods in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of Hezbollah, following warnings of possible expanded military action.

According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli operations since the outbreak of fighting in early March have killed more than 3,100 people. Israel said one soldier was killed in southern Lebanon on Sunday, bringing the number of Israeli military fatalities in the conflict to 23. One civilian contractor has also been reported killed.

Pressure for a broader military campaign has intensified within Israel’s governing coalition. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for harsher retaliatory measures against Hezbollah drone attacks, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir advocated a return to intensive warfare and greater territorial control in southern Lebanon.

Israeli forces currently maintain positions inside a security zone extending several kilometers into Lebanese territory. The military has identified the Litani River as a strategic boundary beyond which Hezbollah fighters should not operate.

Amid the escalation, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reaffirmed his demand for a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, describing the issue as non-negotiable. He also defended ongoing indirect contacts between Lebanese and Israeli officials.

The two countries, which do not maintain diplomatic relations, are scheduled to participate in talks in Washington on June 2 and 3, preceded by military-level discussions at the Pentagon later this week.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem reiterated opposition to direct negotiations with Israel and rejected calls for the group to disarm, signaling that key obstacles to a durable settlement remain unresolved.

The latest escalation highlights the challenge facing regional mediators seeking to contain multiple interconnected conflicts across the Middle East as negotiations over Iran, maritime security and broader ceasefire arrangements continue.

In separate warnings posted on social media, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee urged civilians to leave targeted areas immediately and move to safer locations ahead of anticipated strikes.

The initial warning covered 10 villages, most of them located in southern Lebanon, where residents were instructed to relocate at least 1,000 meters from their homes. The Israeli military said the measures were necessary because of what it described as Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire agreement.

Later in the day, Adraee issued a second evacuation notice directed at residents of one building in Rashidiyeh and two buildings in Burj Al-Shamali, both near the city of Tyre. The military alleged that the sites were located near facilities used by Hezbollah and ordered residents to move at least 300 meters away.

The warnings marked the latest escalation in a conflict that has continued despite a ceasefire that came into force on April 17. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire on an almost daily basis since then, raising concerns about the stability of the truce and the potential for broader regional escalation.

Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted locations in and around Tyre that they say are connected to Hezbollah operations. The strikes have caused significant damage in several neighborhoods and contributed to recurring waves of civilian displacement.

Lebanese authorities say Israeli military operations since early March have killed more than 3,100 people, although the figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. The casualty toll has become a central point of contention as diplomatic efforts to reinforce the ceasefire continue.

The Israeli military separately announced that one of its soldiers was killed in southern Lebanon on Sunday. According to Israeli figures, the death brought to 23 the number of soldiers killed since the outbreak of hostilities with Hezbollah. One civilian contractor has also been reported killed.

The latest evacuation orders came as Lebanon observed Resistance and Liberation Day, a national holiday commemorating Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. Lebanese leaders used the occasion to call for solidarity with communities affected by the continuing violence rather than celebrations.

The renewed warnings underscore the fragile nature of the ceasefire and the persistent security challenges along the Israel-Lebanon border, where military activity and civilian displacement remain ongoing concerns.

The strikes came hours after Israel issued evacuation warnings to residents of 10 villages in southern Lebanon, urging them to leave areas near locations identified by the military as Hezbollah infrastructure.
Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said the army was compelled to act against alleged violations of the ceasefire by Hezbollah, adding that civilians were being warned in advance to reduce the risk of casualties.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Israeli airstrikes on roughly a dozen sites across southern Lebanon, including an attack on an agricultural area that wounded several Syrian workers.
One of the most significant strikes occurred in the southern coastal city of Tyre, where a targeted attack near Hiram Hospital caused extensive damage to the medical facility.

Journalists at the scene reported shattered windows, damaged medical equipment and structural impacts throughout parts of the building.

Hospital chief executive Dr. Salman Aydibi said approximately 40 patients, including seven intensive care patients, were inside the facility when evacuation warnings were issued. Staff moved patients to safer sections of the hospital before the strike occurred.
According to Aydibi, no patients were injured, although around 30 staff members suffered minor injuries.

The hospital remained operational after the attack, though emergency services were briefly suspended while damage assessments were carried out.
The Israeli military said it had struck Hezbollah infrastructure sites in Tyre that were allegedly being used by operatives to plan and execute attacks against Israeli forces. It said precautions included advance warnings, aerial surveillance and the use of precision-guided munitions.

Israeli forces also conducted strikes in eastern Lebanon overnight. The military said it targeted an underground Hezbollah facility used for weapons production.

Separately, Jamaa Islamiya and its armed wing, Al-Fajr Forces, announced that one of their members had been killed in an Israeli strike in eastern Lebanon.

The latest attacks underscore the fragility of the ceasefire that took effect on April 17. While the agreement, backed by Washington, halted large-scale fighting, both Israel and Hezbollah have accused each other of violations, and intermittent military exchanges have continued along the border.

Under the ceasefire framework, Israel maintains the right to take action against what it describes as planned, imminent or ongoing attacks, a provision that remains a source of dispute between the two sides.

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said the evacuation order was issued in response to what Israel described as repeated Hezbollah violations of the truce agreement that took effect in mid-April.“In light of the terrorist Hezbollah’s violation of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is compelled to act against it forcefully,” Adraee said in a statement posted on X.Residents were instructed to leave their homes and move at least 1,000 meters away from the affected villages into open areas for their safety, the statement said.

The warning came as fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed group continued to intensify across southern Lebanon, with both sides exchanging fire almost daily despite the ceasefire arrangement.Earlier Saturday, the Israeli military said it had targeted more than 85 Hezbollah infrastructure sites over the previous 24 hours through aerial and ground operations.

According to the military, the strikes hit weapons storage facilities, missile launchers and structures allegedly used by Hezbollah to conduct attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers.Israel also said it struck an underground Hezbollah weapons production facility in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley and targeted militants accused of conducting operations against Israeli troops deployed in southern Lebanon.

On Friday, Hezbollah announced missile and drone attacks against Israeli military bases in retaliation for Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and continued attacks in southern Lebanon.Lebanese authorities said Israeli strikes killed 11 people in southern Lebanon on Friday.

The latest escalation underscores the fragility of the ceasefire reached earlier this year after months of cross-border clashes that expanded alongside the broader regional conflict involving Israel, Iran and allied armed groups.

Israel and Lebanon remain formally at war, although indirect diplomatic efforts backed by international mediators have sought to prevent wider regional escalation.

The warning was issued by the military’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee, who said civilians should leave areas near Hezbollah positions, facilities and weapons.

“The military does not intend to harm you, and out of concern for your safety, you are required to evacuate your homes immediately and move away from the specified area toward the Sidon District,” Adraee said in a post on X.“Anyone present near Hezbollah elements, their facilities or their weapons is endangering their life,” he added.

The areas listed in the evacuation warning were located outside or along the edge of the so-called “Yellow Line,” a roughly 10-kilometer-deep strip of Lebanese territory along the border where Israeli troops are currently operating.

The warning came as tensions continued despite a ceasefire agreed earlier this month between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, with both sides accusing each other of repeated violations.

On Tuesday morning, the Israeli military said it launched interceptors in two separate incidents against what it described as suspicious aerial targets detected in areas where Israeli forces were operating in southern Lebanon.It said the targets did not cross into Israeli territory.

The military also said one Israeli soldier was seriously wounded and another lightly injured on Monday after an explosive drone struck during operational activity in southern Lebanon.“This incident constitutes a violation of the ceasefire understandings by the Hezbollah terrorist organization,” the military said in a statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Hezbollah’s rockets and drones remained a major threat requiring continued military action, adding that Israeli strikes would persist.

Hezbollah entered the wider Middle East conflict on March 2 by launching rockets toward Israel, saying the attack was in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Since then, the cross-border fighting has displaced large numbers of civilians in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, while international mediators have struggled to preserve the ceasefire and prevent a broader regional escalation.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency, citing the health ministry, said four people were killed in a strike on the town of Adloun, while two others died in an airstrike on an apartment in the Mieh Mieh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon that also wounded four people.

Earlier, three people were reported killed and 18 wounded in a separate strike on the town of Habboush.There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the reported strikes. However, Israel had earlier warned of imminent attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of Hezbollah that has faced repeated bombardment.

The latest strikes come as Israel intensifies operations against Hezbollah, which began launching rockets on March 2, drawing Lebanon deeper into a broader regional war triggered by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a statement that forces were targeting Hezbollah’s “military infrastructure” across Beirut’s southern suburbs “with increasing force,” urging civilians to evacuate immediately for their safety.

Lebanese authorities say the Israeli campaign has killed at least 1,072 people and displaced more than one million since the escalation began, underscoring the humanitarian toll of the conflict.Israel has indicated it may seek to establish control over territory up to the Litani River, approximately 30 km from the border, reviving concerns of a prolonged ground presence in southern Lebanon.

Israel previously occupied the region for nearly two decades until 2000.Cross-border impactIn northern Israel, ongoing rocket fire from Lebanon has disrupted civilian life, with air raid sirens sending residents into shelters.

Israeli authorities reported that a woman was killed on Tuesday in one such attack.The exchange of strikes highlights the intensifying cross-border hostilities, with no immediate signs of de-escalation.