Israel strikes Lebanon, widening Mideast conflict

Israel struck targets in Lebanon early Monday after the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel, as the conflict started with U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran continued to spill across the region.

Israeli strikes hit Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut, triggering more than a dozen explosions across the Lebanese capital, the military said. The exchange — following a fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire in 2024 — marks a sharp escalation after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran launched the conflict over the weekend.

“Hezbollah just made a big mistake,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a post on X. Hezbollah is one of Tehran’s most important regional allies in the so-called “Axis of Resistance.”

Israel warned residents of dozens of villages in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate. “Hezbollah’s actions force the IDF to act against it … For your safety, evacuate your homes immediately,” Israeli army spokesperson Ella Waweya said on X.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called the rocket fire “irresponsible,” warning it “endangers Lebanon’s security and safety,” and said authorities would act against those responsible.

The flare-up is stoking fears that the confrontation with Iran will engulf the Middle East. U.S. President Donald Trump said military operations against Iran could continue for weeks, as oil prices jumped and air travel across Persian Gulf hubs faces continued disruption.

European officials are increasingly alarmed after a drone struck the U.K.’s airbase at Akrotiri in Cyprus overnight — the clearest sign yet the Iran conflict is edging toward Europe’s doorstep. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is convening a special security meeting of commissioners Monday to assess the risks to the bloc’s security and energy supplies.