Israeli forces captured territory north of the Litani River over the weekend. Netanyahu cited Hezbollah ceasefire violations in ordering attacks on Dahieh suburb.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to strike targets belonging to Hezbollah in the Dahieh district of southern Beirut on Sunday, escalating operations after forces advanced into new territory in Lebanon over the weekend.
Netanyahu said the strikes were ordered jointly with Defense Minister Israel Katz in response to what Israeli officials characterized as repeated violations of the ceasefire by Hezbollah. "In light of repeated ceasefire violations in Lebanon by the Hezbollah terrorist organization and attacks on our cities and citizens, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have ordered the Israel Defense Forces to strike terrorist targets in the Dahieh district of Beirut," a statement from his office said.
The order marked a significant expansion of Israeli military operations. On Saturday, Netanyahu announced he had instructed the IDF to expand its ground maneuver zone in Lebanon. Israeli forces crossed the Litani River and captured the Beaufort Ridge, a strategic medieval fortress in southern Lebanon previously held by Hezbollah.
"The capture of Beaufort is a dramatic stage and a dramatic shift in the policy we are leading," Netanyahu said in a statement. "I instructed the IDF to expand its maneuvers in Lebanon. Our forces crossed the Litani River and captured the Beaufort Ridge. Now my directive is to deepen and expand our hold on areas that had been under Hezbollah's control."
Netanyahu also stated that Israeli forces were operating across multiple fronts. "We are operating on all fronts—in Syria, Gaza, and Lebanon. We have established security zones beyond our borders in order to protect our communities," he said.
The IDF's Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, issued evacuation orders for residents in Mleikah and Kafr Kila, stating the IDF was "compelled to act forcefully" against what it described as Hezbollah's ceasefire violations.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has been in effect since April 17. However, the two sides have regularly exchanged strikes along the Lebanese-Israeli border since the truce took hold. In late May, Netanyahu said he had ordered an intensification of strikes against Hezbollah targets.
The Dahieh suburb, where Hezbollah maintains a significant presence, had largely been spared from Israeli strikes since the ceasefire began in April, though Israeli military operations continued in southern Lebanon.
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Israeli forces took control of the medieval fortress north of the Litani River as part of expanded operations against Hezbollah, 26 years after withdrawing in 2000.
