Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will intensify its military strikes against Hezbollah, despite a 45-day ceasefire extension agreed earlier this month. He stated that the offensive had 'eliminated... over 600 terrorists' and that Israel must now 'increase the strikes, to increase the intensity.' Recent attacks have expanded beyond southern Lebanon to include the Bekaa Valley in the east, raising fears in Beirut that the capital could also be targeted.

Since the ceasefire was signed on 16 April, Israeli operations had largely focused on southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops remain stationed and where Israel says rockets and drones have been launched. However, the broader campaign comes amid regional tensions, as Iran has called for a comprehensive ceasefire across all fronts in the conflict, a position opposed by Israel’s government.

The fighting has continued to inflict heavy casualties. Ten Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire began, while more than 400 people in Lebanon have died in Israeli bombardments during the same period, including paramedics and emergency workers. More than one million people have been displaced in Lebanon, with Israel issuing near-daily evacuation orders in southern areas.

The current escalation follows a wider conflict that began after military action by the United States and Israel against Iran in February. Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel following an Israeli strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader, prompting a sustained Israeli air and ground campaign in Lebanon that has left more than 3,000 people dead, according to Lebanese health authorities.