The conflict in the Middle East is escalating. On Monday night, the Lebanese militia Hezbollah attacked Israel with rockets. This is the first time since the beginning of the ceasefire in November 2024 that the Iranian-backed Shiite militia has fired on Israel.
Hezbollah justified the attack with the assassination of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran on Saturday, ARD reported.
Israel responds with counterattacks
Hezbollah bears "full responsibility for any escalation of tensions", said the Israeli army's chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, overnight. According to the Israeli army itself, it intercepted one projectile, while others fell in open areas.
In response to the rocket fire from Hezbollah, the Israeli army attacked targets in Lebanon. Among the targets hit were houses in the capital Beirut. The attacks killed senior members of the Shiite militia, and another was killed in the south of the country, Israel announced.
Early in the morning, the Israeli army launched a new wave of attacks. The targets were weapons depots and other infrastructure of the Shiite militia in Lebanon.
Deaths and injuries in Lebanon
The Israeli attacks killed at least 31 people, according to Lebanese sources. Another 149 were injured. Most of the dead were in the south of the country.
Israel has called on the population of nearly 50 towns and villages in Lebanon to evacuate. Photos from the night, provided by news agencies, show long lines of cars leaving Beirut.
Ceasefire since 2024
A ceasefire has been in place between Israel and Hezbollah since 2024. After the latest Israeli-American attacks on Iran, the militia has pledged support for its allies in Tehran. Hezbollah is severely weakened, but still has significant military capabilities.
On Saturday, the Lebanese government reported that the US ambassador had assured that as long as there were no hostile actions from the Lebanese side, there would be no escalation of the conflict with Lebanon.
Militia attacks also in Iraq
Another militia allied with Iran said it had attacked a US military base in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
The Saraya Awliya al-Dam group said it had attacked a US base near the airport early this morning with a drone. It spoke of "revenge" for Khamenei's death and "support" for Iran. There has been no official confirmation of the attack from Iraq or the United States.
Smoke over US embassy in Kuwait
Meanwhile, news agencies reported that smoke was rising above the US embassy in the capital of the Persian Gulf state after a series of Iranian airstrikes on Kuwait.
According to the AP, the building was hit in a suspected Iranian attack. The US embassy issued a warning of the ongoing threat of missile and drone strikes and urged people to stay away from the building.
Sirens sounded above the Kuwaiti capital earlier. The Kuwaiti armed forces said they had intercepted multiple hostile missiles and drones.