The army announced that it was carrying out “intensive strikes” on Hezbollah targets.
According to our correspondent, the Israeli air force is launching raids on several areas in southern Lebanon, including Jabal al-Rayhan, the outskirts of Burj al-Shamali, Zebqin, the outskirts of Qasimiyeh, Zebqin, the outskirts of Kfar Rumman, and areas in the northern Bekaa.
Lebanese media also confirmed that Israeli raids targeted the Hermel outskirts area in eastern Lebanon on Monday morning.
The Israeli military did not provide further details about the strikes, which come amid some of the fiercest cross-border exchanges of fire in a conflict that has been taking place alongside the nearly year-long Gaza war.
Sunday saw a heavy exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah, with the Lebanese group firing rockets deep into northern Israel after suffering some of the heaviest bombardment in nearly a year of conflict.
Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem said during the funeral of the group’s prominent leader Ibrahim Aqil, who was killed in an Israeli bombardment of Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday: “We will not determine how to respond to the aggression and we have entered a new phase whose title is the battle of open accounts.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said operations would continue until it was safe for evacuees in the north to return, setting the stage for a long-term conflict as Hezbollah vowed to continue fighting until a ceasefire in the parallel war in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said in a televised statement that the army was well prepared for the next stages of fighting, which are scheduled to take place in the coming days, but he did not say what that might entail.
“We will do whatever it takes to eliminate threats against Israel,” he added.
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