The government in Beirut, Lebanon's capital, took the unprecedented step of banning Hezbollah's military and security activities on Monday, prompting the Iran-backed militant group to react strongly to the decision, writes AFP.
Real time information about the war in Iran and what is happening in the region
Hezbollah is represented in both Lebanon's government and parliament, and the move came hours after the group said it had fired missiles and drones at Israel early Monday morning in retaliation for the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in US and Israeli airstrikes earlier in the weekend.
Meanwhile, Israel began bombing the southern suburbs of Beirut and dozens of villages in southern Lebanon, vowing that the Tehran-backed group would pay a “heavy price”.
According to the Lebanese government, the bombing by Israel killed at least 52 people and wounded at least 154 others.
The Israeli military (IDF) later said it had “completed a large series of attacks on Hezbollah terrorist organization targets in southern Lebanon.”
“More than 70 weapons depots, launch bases and rocket launchers were hit in the strikes,” the IDF said.
Following an emergency cabinet meeting in Beirut on Monday, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said: “The Lebanese state declares its absolute and unequivocal rejection of any military or security actions launched from Lebanese territory outside the framework of its legitimate institutions.”
“This requires the immediate ban of all military and security activities of Hezbollah, as they are considered illegal, and forcing it to hand over its weapons,” the Lebanese prime minister added.
In response, Mohammed Raad, head of the militant group's parliamentary bloc, condemned Beirut's “hasty decisions”, saying “the Lebanese expected a decision to reject (Israeli) aggression”.
Salam ordered the country's military and security agencies to take “immediate measures” to implement the cabinet's decision and prevent “any military operation or the launch of missiles or drones from Lebanese territory.”
The Minister of Justice of Lebanon, Adel Nassar, announced in a post on the X social network that the judicial authorities have instructed “the security agencies to immediately arrest those who launched the rockets and the instigators” of this action.
A source close to the Lebanese government said two ministers from the Amal Movement, Hezbollah's Shiite party, which is a key ally of the paramilitary organization, as well as a cabinet minister who hails from within the group itself, approved the Beirut government's decision.
New attacks by Israel on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon have caused panic among civilians, who have traffic in Beirut, as some residents fled using cars and motorcycles, taking what they could with them, and others expressed their frustration.
“My little girl and I have been in the car for three and a half hours… for what? Why? For who?” wrote one user, Ali Deeb, on the X network.
New attacks
Israeli strikes hit several buildings belonging to Al-Qard al-Hassan, a Hezbollah-linked finance firm on Washington's sanctions list, in several parts of the country, particularly in the south.
The bombings came after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for several cities in southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut.
The armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad announced on Monday that its commander in Lebanon, Adham Adnan al-Othman, had been killed in the attacks.
Later on Monday, AFP journalists heard several loud explosions in Beirut, and the state-controlled National News Agency reported that “enemy warplanes launched new raids on the southern suburbs.”
The US Embassy in Lebanon has renewed its appeal to American citizens to leave Lebanon immediately.
The Ministry of Education announced the closure of schools, universities and educational institutions on Tuesday due to “security conditions”.
Authorities in Beirut have repeatedly said they do not want to involve their country in a rekindling of the conflict in the region, which began over the weekend after the massive attack by the US and Israel on Iran.
Beirut decided last August to gradually disarm Hezbollah after a year-long war with Israel that ended with a truce in November 2024.
But the deal did not stop Israel from continuing to attack targets it said were linked to Hezbollah, a group it accused of trying to rearm.
The truce is being monitored by a commission made up of representatives from Lebanon, Israel, the United States, France and UN peacekeepers.
Also on Monday, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called on the countries guaranteeing the truce – the US and France – to “obtain a clear and definitive commitment from the Israeli side to cease all attacks on all Lebanese territory.”
He announced the government's “full readiness to resume negotiations” with Israel, “with civilian participation and under international auspices.”
