Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to forcefully suppress Hezbollah activity in Lebanon on Sunday, April 26, following a breach of the fragile regional truce, Reuters reported.
The directive from the Prime Minister’s Office instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to “forcefully attack Hezbollah targets” after militants launched two rockets at northern Israel.
While one missile was successfully intercepted and no casualties were reported, the IDF responded with nighttime airstrikes on rocket launchers in three locations across southern Lebanon. Israeli forces also targeted groups of militants and facilities belonging to the Radwan unit, Hezbollah’s elite special forces.
The military has reissued a warning to Lebanese civilians, prohibiting them from approaching the Litani River area, where active combat operations are ongoing.
This escalation comes just days after US President Donald Trump announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Under the terms of the agreement, Israel maintains the right to take “all necessary measures in self-defense,” a clause Netanyahu has cited to justify continued strikes against perceived threats.
Hezbollah, however, has dismissed the truce as “meaningless,” pointing to persistent Israeli operations on Lebanese soil as justification for its own retaliation.
The intensifying violence near the border occurs as the United State maintains a significant military presence in the region, including a third aircraft carrier and a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.