Israel Unleashes Major Strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon After Haifa Rocket Barrage: Death Toll Rises as Regional War Expands

Beirut/Damascus/Tel Aviv, March 2, 2026 – In the deadliest escalation since the November 2024 ceasefire collapsed, Israeli warplanes conducted widespread airstrikes across southern Beirut and Lebanon's south early Monday, killing at least 31 people and wounding over 100 following Hezbollah's retaliatory rocket barrage on Haifa, Lebanese health authorities confirmed. The strikes – Israel's most intensive since the conflict reignited – mark a critical expansion of hostilities that threatens to engulf the entire Levant amid Washington's escalating campaign against Iran.

At 1:00 AM local time Monday, Hezbollah's military wing launched "a barrage of rockets and swarm of drones" toward a missile defense installation south of Haifa, declaring it "revenge for the pure blood" of assassinated Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported one projectile intercepted while others landed in open areas, with no injuries or damage in Israeli territory – a development that triggered Defense Minister Israel Katz's immediate declaration that Hezbollah "will pay a heavy price." Within hours, Israeli jets hit over 40 targets in Hezbollah-stronghold neighborhoods of southern Beirut and southern Lebanon, focusing on intelligence facilities and command centers identified during intensive surveillance operations.

"We have initiated an offensive campaign against Hezbollah leadership infrastructure across Lebanon," IDF Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir announced from Tel Aviv headquarters. "This requires sustained combat operations – we must prepare for prolonged days ahead." Evidence of Israel's precision targeting emerged as sources in Beirut confirmed the elimination of Hussein Makled, Hezbollah's head of military intelligence, in a "precise strike" on Sunday night. Crucially, Defense Minister Katz publicly declared Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem – who days earlier denounced Khamenei's killing as "the height of crime" – as "a confirmed marked target for elimination."

Lebanon's government delivered an unprecedented rebuke to the Iran-backed militia as Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced an immediate ban on all Hezbollah military activities. "Their actions display dangerous disregard for the will of Lebanon's majority," Salam declared after emergency cabinet talks, asserting that "the decision of war and peace resides exclusively with legitimate state institutions." This historic move underscores the dramatic power shift in Lebanon following Hezbollah's crippling losses during the 2024 war – a development that has emboldened state institutions to challenge the group's decade-long autonomous military authority.

The Lebanon-Israel exchange forms the latest front in the cataclysmic regional conflict ignited by Saturday's U.S.-Israeli "Epic Fury" operation that killed Khamenei and targeted IRGC infrastructure. As explosions rocked Doha, Dubai, and Manama overnight, U.S. Central Command confirmed three additional service members killed in action – bringing American fatalities to four since operations began. President Trump warned Sunday that "more casualties are likely" as he projected the campaign could endure "four to five weeks," telling CNN "the big wave hasn't even happened" while revealing he maintains a shortlist of potential Iranian leadership successors.

With evacuation orders displacing hundreds from Lebanon's south and Iranian state media reporting 555 fatalities from ongoing U.S.-Israel strikes inside Iran, diplomatic channels face unprecedented pressure. The Lebanese government's ban on Hezbollah operations – unthinkable just six months ago – now represents the fragile line preventing full-scale northern front war, as both Tel Aviv and Tehran demonstrate alarming readiness for prolonged combat. As smoke still rises over Beirut's battered suburbs, the world watches whether this latest exchange becomes the catalyst for irreversible regional conflagration.