Israel PM orders strikes on Beirut suburbs as Hezbollah conflict escalates

Benjamin Netanyahu says the Hezbollah stronghold of Dahieh will be targeted in response to attacks on Israeli civilians. Israel PM orders strikes on Beirut suburbs as Hezbollah conflict escalates Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Many Lebanese fled Beirut's southern suburbs following Netanyahu's statement Lebanese flee Beirut's southern suburbs after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered strikes there (1 June 2026) Israel's prime minister has ordered attacks on the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital, Beirut, as the conflict with the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah continues to escalate. Benjamin Netanyahu said "terrorist targets" in the Hezbollah stronghold of Dahieh would be struck in response to attacks on Israeli civilians and other violations of a US-brokered ceasefire announced in April that has failed to end the fighting. A senior Lebanese government official told the BBC that it was relying on US mediation efforts to pressure Israel to end its own violations and prevent further civilian casualties. On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. According to a US official, he proposed that, as a first step, Lebanese officials should pressure Hezbollah to stop its attacks on Israel and that, in return, Israel would refrain from escalation in Beirut. The official said this would create space for gradual de-escalation and an effective cessation of hostilities. It came after Israeli troops occupying southern Lebanon crossed the Litani river to seize the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle that sits on top of a strategically important ridge. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said their campaign was "not over" and that they were "determined to crush Hezbollah's power". Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel on Saturday of pursuing a "scorched-earth policy and collective punishment". Map of southern Lebanon showing the Litani and Zahrani rivers and the location of Beaufort Castle near the Litani River. An inset map locates the area within Lebanon, with Beirut marked on the coast. Surrounding regions include Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south, and the Golan Heights to the southeast. A scale indicates 10 km (5 miles). Lebanon was drawn into the war between the US, Israel and Iran on 2 March, when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel in retaliation for an Israeli strike that killed Iran's supreme leader. Israel responded with an air campaign across Lebanon and a ground invasion. At least 3,371 people have been killed in Lebanon since the start of the war, according to the country's health ministry. Its figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Israel says 24 of its soldiers and four Israeli civilians have been killed over the same period on both sides of the border. The Beaufort castle which sits atop a hill, with two flags flying from the top of the castle - an Israeli flag and what appears to be a flag of the Golani Brigade - on a sunny day in southern Lebanon on Sunday. Israel seizes castle in Lebanon as it expands ground offensive A graphical composite image showing an explosion over a building in Lebanon next to the BBC Verify logo. Israel intensifies strikes on Lebanon during ceasefire, videos show Hasnain Jafer says his time spent in Israeli custody was "harrowing". Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls the capture of the strategic fortress a "decisive shift" in Israel's campaign against Hezbollah, as European governments criticise the escalation. Israel says it rejects allegations in a new report by the office of the UN secretary general. Verified videos show strikes on densely populated neighbourhoods in southern Lebanon. Beirut had until now largely been spared even as both Israel and Hezbollah accused each other of breaking last month's ceasefire. Fibre-optic drones are now Hezbollah's primary weapon against Israel's soldiers and civilians. The Israeli military has ordered Lebanese residents to leave some 17% of the country's territory. Israel says it struck 100 Hezbollah infrastructure sites and fighters in Lebanon, after PM Benjamin Netanyahu vows to "crush" the Iran-backed group.