Israeli Air Force Strikes More Than 400 Targets in Lebanon

In a powerful response to ongoing rocket attacks, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) launched extensive airstrikes on over 400 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon on Monday. The strikes aimed to prevent the Iranian-backed terror group from launching rockets into Israel’s northern region, which has been under persistent threat for nearly a year.

By Monday afternoon, the IAF confirmed its successful strikes on Hezbollah positions, releasing a video showing Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi approving the operation from the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) underground command room in Tel Aviv.

IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari warned that the airstrikes would continue and called out Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, for “dragging Lebanon and the entire region into escalation.” He urged Lebanese civilians living near Hezbollah strongholds to evacuate, as the terror group has been using civilian homes to store weapons.

“For more than 20 years, Hezbollah has placed weapons inside homes, turning Southern Lebanon into a combat zone,” Hagari said during a press briefing. The IDF later sent text messages and released a video in Arabic, warning residents to distance themselves from Hezbollah-affiliated buildings for their safety.

Hagari also revealed that a Hezbollah attempt to launch a DR-3 cruise missile from a civilian residence had been thwarted. The missile, capable of carrying a 661-pound warhead, had a range of up to 124 miles. The IDF’s preventive strike successfully destroyed the missile before it could be fired at Israel.

As the IAF strikes targeted Hezbollah positions deep into Lebanon, including the Bekaa Valley, rocket sirens blared across northern Israel, with multiple interceptions reported. In the Safed area, explosions were heard as Israeli defense systems intercepted rockets launched by Hezbollah. In the Lower Galilee, two Israelis were lightly wounded by rocket fire near the Golani intersection and were evacuated for treatment.

In Giv’at Avni, near the Sea of Galilee, a house was hit by a Hezbollah rocket, causing a fire. Thankfully, the residents had taken shelter in a bomb-safe room and were unharmed.

Israel’s opposition leader, Yair Lapid, voiced his support for the airstrikes, urging the IDF to act decisively. “The time has come. Be strong and courageous, and act do not fear or be dismayed until all the residents of the north return to their homes safely,” Lapid tweeted.

More than 60,000 Israelis remain displaced due to near-daily rocket and missile attacks from Hezbollah, who have ramped up their aggression in support of Hamas’s war against Israel in Gaza. The Israeli government has made it an official war goal to ensure the safe return of its northern residents, escalating its military response against Hezbollah.

As tensions rise, Israel’s commitment to protecting its northern border remains steadfast, with the IDF signaling that further ground maneuvers in Lebanon are possible if necessary to secure the region.

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