Hezbollah Claims It Targeted Three Israeli Military Bases in Retaliation After Strikes on Lebanon

March 3 — Lebanon’s Iran‑aligned militant group Hezbollah announced on Tuesday that it had targeted three Israeli military bases in retaliation for recent airstrikes on its positions in Lebanon and escalating hostilities along the Israel–Lebanon border — signaling a deepening of the broader regional conflict.

In a statement, Hezbollah said it had used a combination of attack drones and rockets against the Ramat David air base, the Meron monitoring base and an unnamed third military site inside northern Israel, describing the strikes as a direct response to what the group called “continued Israeli aggression” against its strongholds in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs.

The announcement came amid one of the most serious confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel since a fragile ceasefire mediated in late 2024 largely ended cross‑border hostilities — a truce that had held despite periodic Israeli raids inside Lebanon targeting armed positions.

Hezbollah framed its offensive as retaliation for persistent Israeli air campaigns across Lebanon, which have intensified following wider regional conflict involving U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran and Iran‑backed forces. Israeli bombardments in recent days have hit southern Lebanon and the outskirts of Beirut, particularly in areas dominated by Hezbollah presence, according to multiple reports.

Lebanon’s Beirut southern suburbs and Bekaa Valley have seen significant population displacement amid the strikes, with thousands of civilians fleeing for safety as air raids and rocket fire escalate.

The Israeli military has also acknowledged conducting repeated air attacks on Hezbollah infrastructure, command centers and weapons depots across southern Lebanon. Military officials described such operations as necessary to degrade Hezbollah’s capacity to strike Israeli towns and defence installations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior defence leaders have promised to respond forcefully to rocket and drone attacks from Lebanese territory, bolstering troop deployments and reinforcing border defences. They characterised Hezbollah’s actions as a grave threat to national security, vowing to “neutralize” militant capabilities as the conflict broadens.

The conflict has compounded an already volatile situation in the Middle East, where recent U.S.‑Israeli military operations against Iran have expanded into a multi‑front confrontation involving Iranian proxies and allied groups across the region. Attacks on U.S. embassies and military targets, as well as strikes on Gulf states, have added to the widening crisis.

Civilian casualties have been reported on both sides of the border. Lebanese health officials have documented dozens of deaths and many wounded following Israeli airstrikes, while rocket salvos from Hezbollah have occasionally triggered air raid alarms and defensive interceptions in northern Israel.

International observers and humanitarian agencies have expressed growing concern over the humanitarian toll of the fighting. Tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced in Lebanon’s south and the greater Beirut area, and infrastructure damage has mounted as the violence continues with no immediate ceasefire in sight.

Diplomats and world leaders have called for restraint amid fears that the clash between Hezbollah and Israel could spiral into a wider full‑scale confrontation involving Lebanese state territory, Iranian support networks, and allied forces. The worsening situation reflects broader regional tensions tied to the ongoing war triggered by the killing of Iran’s supreme leader and subsequent U.S. and Israeli operations in the region.

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