On May 7, the Israeli military (IDF) launched a wide series of airstrikes across southern Lebanon while Hezbollah escalated drone and rocket attacks against Israeli forces occupying Lebanon near the southern border.
The IDF announced that it had struck more than 15 Hezbollah-linked sites in southern Lebanon during overnight operations and Thursday morning raids. According to the IDF, the targets included weapons depots, command centers, missile-launching platforms, weapons manufacturing facilities, and infrastructure allegedly used to coordinate attacks against Israeli troops and northern Israeli communities.
Israeli military officials stated that several rocket launchers used in previous attacks toward Israeli territory were destroyed during the operation. Israeli media reported that the Israeli Air Force also carried out strikes in the city of Nabatieh, marking one of the first major attacks on the area in weeks as Israel broadens the scope of its occupation and airstrikes in southern Lebanon.
Field reports from southern Lebanon indicated that Israeli warplanes conducted additional strikes on the towns of Toul and Harouf as part of a sustained aerial offensive throughout the region.
Ceasefire Under Increasing Pressure
The latest escalation comes despite a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah that entered into force on April 17 and was later extended following indirect diplomatic discussions involving Lebanese and Israeli representatives in Washington.
Nevertheless, Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon have continued, resulting in mounting casualties and widespread destruction. Lebanese officials accuse Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire and undermining diplomatic efforts aimed at stabilizing the border region.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri stated in an interview with Al Jazeera that Iranian officials informed Lebanese leadership that any future agreement between Tehran and Washington would also include provisions concerning Lebanon and the ongoing conflict with Israel.
Berri said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi assured him that Lebanon would be included in any broader regional ceasefire arrangement involving the United States. He added that any agreement between Lebanon and Israel would require strong international guarantees, arguing that Israel has repeatedly failed to honor previous commitments.
Israeli Strike on Beirut Kills Senior Hezbollah Commander
In a significant escalation, Israel confirmed on May 7, that it had assassinated Ahmad Ghaleb Ballout, identified as the commander of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force, during an airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs the previous day.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the operation, declaring that "the blood of anyone who threatens the State of Israel is forfeited."
Netanyahu claimed Ballout had been overseeing plans to infiltrate and attack northern Israel and accused him of coordinating operations from what he described as a concealed headquarters in Beirut.
"There is no immunity anymore," Netanyahu said. "No terrorist Is beyond reach."
Israeli officials said the military has killed more than 220 Hezbollah operatives since the ceasefire understandings were implemented, including over 85 fighters during the past week alone. The IDF also stated that more than 180 Hezbollah infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon had been targeted over the last seven days.
Images from Beirut's southern suburb showed the upper floors of a residential building completely destroyed, while rescue workers continued searching through the rubble.
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