In a statement posted on Telegram, the Israeli military said it had monitored two armed individuals located hundreds of meters from Israeli territory in southern Lebanon before targeting them in an aerial strike.

“A short while ago, IDF surveillance identified two armed individuals moving in a suspicious manner hundreds of meters from Israeli territory, in southern Lebanon,” the military said, adding that the individuals were subsequently “struck and eliminated.

”The incident comes as tensions remain high along the Israel-Lebanon border despite a truce that was extended by Israeli and Lebanese authorities last week.Since the ceasefire took effect on April 17, Israel has continued conducting airstrikes, demolitions and evacuation measures in southern Lebanon, saying its operations target Hezbollah positions and activities.

Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has also continued attacks against Israel.The latest phase of fighting intensified after Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel on March 2, describing the attack as retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes.Israel responded with extensive airstrikes and a ground offensive in southern Lebanon.

Israeli forces continue to operate inside a self-declared security zone, referred to by the military as a “yellow line,” extending roughly 10 kilometers inside Lebanese territory along the border.According to Lebanon’s health ministry, Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,089 people since the broader regional conflict began. Israel’s military has reported 22 military fatalities during the fighting.

The current truce was extended by 45 days following a third round of direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli representatives in Washington. Hezbollah has publicly opposed the negotiations.

The strike highlights the fragility of the ceasefire and the continuing risk of escalation along one of the Middle East’s most volatile frontiers.

In a statement posted on Telegram, the Israeli military said it had monitored two armed individuals located hundreds of meters from Israeli territory in southern Lebanon before targeting them in an aerial strike.

“A short while ago, IDF surveillance identified two armed individuals moving in a suspicious manner hundreds of meters from Israeli territory, in southern Lebanon,” the military said, adding that the individuals were subsequently “struck and eliminated.”

The incident comes as tensions remain high along the Israel-Lebanon border despite a truce that was extended by Israeli and Lebanese authorities last week
Since the ceasefire took effect on April 17, Israel has continued conducting airstrikes, demolitions and evacuation measures in southern Lebanon, saying its operations target Hezbollah positions and activities. Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has also continued attacks against Israel.

The latest phase of fighting intensified after Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel on March 2, describing the attack as retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes.

Israel responded with extensive airstrikes and a ground offensive in southern Lebanon. Israeli forces continue to operate inside a self-declared security zone, referred to by the military as a “yellow line,” extending roughly 10 kilometers inside Lebanese territory along the border.

According to Lebanon’s health ministry, Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,089 people since the broader regional conflict began. Israel’s military has reported 22 military fatalities during the fighting.

The current truce was extended by 45 days following a third round of direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli representatives in Washington. Hezbollah has publicly opposed the negotiations.

The strike highlights the fragility of the ceasefire and the continuing risk of escalation along one of the Middle East’s most volatile frontiers.

The dispute intensified after two ultra-Orthodox factions withdrew support from Netanyahu’s coalition earlier this month, leaving the government without a parliamentary majority and triggering an initial vote on Wednesday to dissolve the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.

The political crisis centers on efforts to pass legislation preserving military draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox seminary students, a decades-old arrangement that has become increasingly unpopular after more than two years of regional conflict and extended reserve duty for many Israelis.

Netanyahu is attempting to advance a bill that would formalize the exemptions and satisfy his religious coalition partners, but opposition within his own bloc has cast doubt over its chances of passage.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel said she was among several coalition lawmakers unwilling to support the legislation, describing demands by ultra-Orthodox parties as unfair during wartime.
“The ultra-Orthodox are trying to extort us. It’s immoral. It’s not fair,” Haskel said after Wednesday’s parliamentary vote, where she wore her military uniform to underscore her opposition.

Analysts say Netanyahu’s dependence on ultra-Orthodox parties, which currently hold 18 seats in the 120-member Knesset, has long helped him maintain political stability despite corruption allegations, repeated elections and regional conflicts.

“He made a promise to his most loyal allies in the coalition, and he could not deliver,” said Shmuel Rosner, referring to Netanyahu’s pledge to protect the exemptions system.

Ultra-Orthodox lawmaker Yitzhak Pindrus said his faction would not return to the coalition without legislation guaranteeing continued exemptions.
“We need the draft bill,” Pindrus said.

The political standoff reflects broader tensions within Israeli society over military service obligations. Most Jewish Israeli men are required to complete nearly three years of mandatory military service followed by reserve duty, while women generally serve two years.
Roughly 13,000 ultra-Orthodox men reach conscription age annually, but fewer than 10% enlist, according to Israeli parliamentary data.

The issue has become more politically sensitive as Israel maintains military operations in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria while also confronting heightened tensions with Iran, stretching reserve forces and intensifying public frustration over unequal service burdens.

Israel’s Supreme Court ruled in 2017 that the longstanding exemptions lacked legal basis, but successive governments delayed implementing changes.

Researchers say Netanyahu now faces a narrowing political path: preserving ties with ultra-Orthodox parties risks alienating broader conservative voters frustrated by military disparities, while abandoning the exemptions could permanently fracture his governing alliance.

Political observers say the coalition’s collapse could move elections forward from October to September, potentially ending one of the most durable governing partnerships in Israeli politics.

The procession, which moved through the Muslim Quarter toward the Western Wall, is one of Israel’s most politically charged nationalist demonstrations and has long inflamed tensions between Israelis and Palestinians over the contested city.

Israeli police erected barricades around Damascus Gate and restricted access to parts of the Old City, while Palestinian shopkeepers said authorities ordered businesses shut ahead of the march.Israel captured East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and later annexed the territory in a move not recognized by most of the international community.

Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state, making the annual march a focal point of competing national claims.“Jerusalem is our holy city. It is our holy city forever,” Shira Gefen, a participant who traveled from near Haifa to attend the event, told Reuters.

Thousands of security personnel, including riot police, were deployed across Jerusalem as crowds carrying Israeli flags streamed through narrow streets of the Old City.

The parade route traditionally passes through Palestinian neighborhoods, drawing criticism from Palestinians and rights groups who accuse Israeli authorities of enabling nationalist displays intended to reinforce Israeli control over East Jerusalem.

The event comes at a time of heightened political and military strain across the Middle East, with the ongoing Iran conflict and renewed regional security concerns fueling nationalist rhetoric on multiple fronts.

Jerusalem Day commemorates Israel’s seizure of East Jerusalem and access to Jewish holy sites during the 1967 conflict. The march concludes at the Western Wall, revered by Jews as the last remnant of the ancient Temple complex.

Muslims refer to the same elevated compound above the wall as Al Haram Al Sharif, home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Islam’s third-holiest site.Previous Jerusalem Day marches have seen clashes between Israeli nationalists and Palestinians, with some demonstrators chanting anti-Arab slogans.

Israeli authorities said security measures this year were aimed at preventing violence and maintaining order during the celebrations.

The procession, which moved through the Muslim Quarter toward the Western Wall, is one of Israel’s most politically charged nationalist demonstrations and has long inflamed tensions between Israelis and Palestinians over the contested city.

Israeli police erected barricades around Damascus Gate and restricted access to parts of the Old City, while Palestinian shopkeepers said authorities ordered businesses shut ahead of the march.Israel captured East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and later annexed the territory in a move not recognized by most of the international community.

Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state, making the annual march a focal point of competing national claims.“Jerusalem is our holy city. It is our holy city forever,” Shira Gefen, a participant who traveled from near Haifa to attend the event, told Reuters.

Thousands of security personnel, including riot police, were deployed across Jerusalem as crowds carrying Israeli flags streamed through narrow streets of the Old City.

The parade route traditionally passes through Palestinian neighborhoods, drawing criticism from Palestinians and rights groups who accuse Israeli authorities of enabling nationalist displays intended to reinforce Israeli control over East Jerusalem.

The event comes at a time of heightened political and military strain across the Middle East, with the ongoing Iran conflict and renewed regional security concerns fueling nationalist rhetoric on multiple fronts.

Jerusalem Day commemorates Israel’s seizure of East Jerusalem and access to Jewish holy sites during the 1967 conflict. The march concludes at the Western Wall, revered by Jews as the last remnant of the ancient Temple complex.

Muslims refer to the same elevated compound above the wall as Al Haram Al Sharif, home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Islam’s third-holiest site.Previous Jerusalem Day marches have seen clashes between Israeli nationalists and Palestinians, with some demonstrators chanting anti-Arab slogans.

Israeli authorities said security measures this year were aimed at preventing violence and maintaining order during the celebrations.

In a video statement released by his office, Netanyahu said Israeli forces had “eliminated” the commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan force in the Lebanese capital the previous night, referring to the armed group’s elite military unit.“Anyone who threatens the State of Israel will die because of his actions,” Netanyahu said, reiterating Israel’s position that it would continue targeting militant leaders it considers security threats.

The strike in central Beirut marked another escalation despite an existing ceasefire arrangement between Israel and Lebanon, and came ahead of a new round of U.S.-mediated talks scheduled in Washington next week.Hezbollah has not immediately issued detailed public comment on Netanyahu’s statement.

Israel has continued airstrikes in Lebanon in recent weeks, saying it is targeting Hezbollah infrastructure and commanders linked to attacks against Israeli territory.The Radwan force is regarded as one of Hezbollah’s most prominent combat units and has been central to the group’s operations along the Israel-Lebanon frontier.

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.

The Israel Defense Forces said it had identified incoming missiles and was responding to the threat, confirming that defensive systems were operating to intercept them.

The exchange followed Israeli strikes described as a “wave” of air attacks on Iran, marking a further escalation in hostilities between the two countries.

No immediate details were provided on damage or casualties from the missile launches or interceptions.

The latest developments come amid intensifying cross-border attacks as the conflict between Israel and Iran continues to expand, raising concerns over broader regional escalation.

Air defense systems were activated following the first barrage, with police and emergency services responding to several locations in the Tel Aviv area.

Israeli media, citing medics, reported that four people sustained light injuries. Police said officers were deployed to multiple impact sites, with local reports indicating as many as nine locations affected.Israeli media said the spread of damage across a relatively wide area suggested the possible use of cluster munitions, which detonate mid-air and disperse smaller bomblets.

There was no immediate independent confirmation of the type of munitions used.Less than two hours after the initial attack, the military reported a second wave of missiles launched from Iran, triggering air raid sirens across large parts of northern and central Israel. In a subsequent statement, authorities said residents were permitted to leave protected shelters, indicating that the immediate threat had subsided.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage linked to the second barrage.The attacks follow a separate missile strike on Wednesday that injured 14 people, including a child, according to Israeli emergency services, as residents prepared for the Passover holiday.

The exchange underscores escalating hostilities between Iran and Israel, with both sides having previously accused each other of employing cluster munitions in the conflict.

The Israeli military said the incoming missiles activated warning systems across several regions, with interceptions heard over Tel Aviv. In northern Israel, residential buildings were damaged by debris from intercepted projectiles.

No fatalities were reported.The escalation came hours after Trump said he would delay, by five days, a planned strike on Iran’s power grid, citing what he described as “very good and productive” discussions aimed at resolving hostilities in the Middle East.

Iranian officials moved swiftly to counter Trump’s statement. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said no talks had taken place, calling the U.S. claims “fake news” intended to manipulate financial and oil markets and deflect from mounting geopolitical pressure.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Qalibaf had been identified as a key interlocutor in the purported exchanges. However, his public denial cast doubt on the existence of any backchannel diplomacy.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they were continuing operations, including attacks on U.S. targets, and described Trump’s remarks as “psychological operations” with no bearing on Tehran’s military posture.

Global markets reacted sharply to the shifting narrative. Trump’s announcement of a delay in military action had initially buoyed investor sentiment, pushing share prices higher and driving oil below the $100-per-barrel mark after earlier volatility tied to threats of escalation.

By Tuesday, those gains appeared at risk as renewed hostilities and Iran’s rejection of negotiations reintroduced uncertainty into energy markets and broader risk sentiment.

The diplomatic confusion follows Trump’s weekend ultimatum demanding that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. The strategic waterway carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, making it a critical chokepoint for global energy supply.

Iran has not indicated any shift in its stance on the strait, and the continued exchange of threats and military actions has heightened concerns over potential disruptions to energy flows and regional stability.