Netanyahu orders intensified Lebanon strikes to 'crush' Hezbollah

Monday, May 25, 2026Confirmed

World Desk

What we know

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military on Monday to intensify operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying Israel is "at war" with the group and must "increase the blows" after weeks of fiber-optic drone attacks on Israeli forces. The Israel Defense Forces said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in the eastern Bekaa Valley and elsewhere; Lebanon's National News Agency reported successive evening strikes around Mashghara and earlier attacks in the south near Tyre and Nabatieh.

Lebanese media said Israeli strikes and drone attacks killed at least three to four people during the day, with fresh evacuation warnings for multiple southern villages. An Israeli soldier was killed and another wounded in a drone incident in southern Lebanon, the military said. Far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir pressed for strikes deeper into Beirut even as a U.S.-brokered ceasefire framework remained formally in place since mid-April.

What's confirmed

AP/BBC: Netanyahu ordered intensified strikes; the IDF announced Bekaa and other Lebanon attacks after his video statement (AP/BBC).
AP/Al Jazeera: Lebanese NNA reported civilian deaths in southern strikes and residents leaving Beirut's southern suburbs after the escalation order (AP/Al Jazeera).
AFP/France 24: Netanyahu said Israel would "crush" Hezbollah and counter fiber-optic drones; far-right ministers urged expansion including Beirut (AFP/France 24).
AP: The IDF said it struck more than 70 Hezbollah infrastructure sites Monday; a soldier was killed by a drone in southern Lebanon (AP).

What's still developing

Whether the intensified campaign expands beyond the south and Bekaa into greater Beirut.
How Friday's planned Lebanon-Israel talks in Washington absorb the escalation.
Casualty and displacement tallies as overnight Bekaa strikes continue.

Sources

AP News — Israel's military says it's striking Hezbollah sites as Netanyahu vows to 'increase the blows' link
Al Jazeera — Israel to intensify Lebanon offensive to 'crush' Hezbollah link
BBC News — Netanyahu says Israel will intensify strikes against Hezbollah link
France 24 / AFP — Israel pounds Lebanon with fresh air strikes, vows to 'crush' Hezbollah link