Israeli military attacks Hezbollah in Lebanon
A damaged apartment in a building following an Israeli airstrike in Al Jamous, in Dahieh, southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, on Monday, March 2, 2026. Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA
March 1 (UPI) — The Israeli military was attacking Hezbollah targets in neighboring Lebanon, amid worries that its war with the United States against Iran may escalate and spill across the region.
The Israel Defense Forces announced its military offensive hours after sirens triggered by projectiles launched from Lebanon sounded throughout northern Israel.
The Israeli strikes were retaliatory, the IDF said in a statement.
Strikes targeted senior Hezbollah operatives in the capital, Beirut, according to the Israeli Air Force, which said it also struck “a key terrorist” in southern Lebanon.
“Hezbollah opened a campaign against Israel overnight, and is fully responsible for any escalation,” IDF Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said in a statement.
“Any enemy that threatens our security will pay a heavy price — we will not allow any harm to come to the people of Israel and our northern border.”
In an update, the IDF said targets included command and control centers, launch sites and senior Hezbollah operatives.
In the recorded statement, an IDF spokesperson said they were prepared for a Hezbollah response prior to attacking Iran on Saturday.
The spokesperson said Israeli fighter jets were continuing to strike Iran.
According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, at least 31 people were killed and 149 wounded in the overnight attacks in the country’s south and Beirut’s Dahiyeh district, the state-run National News Agency reported.
It said 11 were killed and 58 injured in south Lebanon and 20 killed and 91 injured in the southern suburbs.
The strikes come less than 48 hours after the United States and Israel began their military operation to force regime change in Iran. Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the strikes, along with other senior officials. Iran will form a three-member interim council until a new leader is chosen, according to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
Iran has responded by attacking U.S. bases throughout the Middle East. Tehran’s proxy militias have also launched attacks, including Hezbollah.
Three U.S. service members were killed and five seriously injured in Kuwait. At least nine Israelis were killed in strikes in Beit Shemesh, located about 20 miles west of Jerusalem, Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service said in a statement. More than 20 were injured in the strike.
In Iran, more than 200 people have been killed, according to state media citing the Red Crescent. The Iran Mission to the United Nations said more than 150 school children were killed in a strike on a school in the southern city of Minab.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the launching of rockets from southern Lebanon toward Israel.
He described the Hezbollah strikes as “an irresponsible and suspicious act that endangers Lebanon’s security and safety and provides Israel with pretexts to continue its attacks.”
“We will not allow the country to be dragged into new adventures, and we will take all necessary measures to stop the perpetrators and protect the Lebanese.”