Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has announced a ban on the military and security operations of Hezbollah, declaring such activities illegal after the group launched rockets and drones at Israel from Lebanese territory.
The decision came shortly after Israel carried out air strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs in retaliation for the attack. Salam stated that Hezbollah’s role must be confined strictly to political activity and warned that no armed operations should be conducted outside the authority of Lebanon’s official institutions. He instructed security forces to prevent any assaults originating from Lebanese soil and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to halting hostilities and restarting negotiations.
Earlier, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for striking a military missile defence site near Haifa, describing the operation as retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and as a response to what it called repeated Israeli aggression.
Israel responded with air raids on Beirut’s southern suburbs and parts of southern Lebanon. According to Lebanon’s state news agency, more than 30 people were killed and nearly 150 others injured. The Israeli military said one of its overnight strikes in Beirut killed Hussein Makled, identified as the head of Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters. Israel accused him of coordinating intelligence and planning attacks against Israeli forces and stated that operations against Hezbollah would continue.
Hezbollah, which functions independently from the Lebanese government, has been significantly weakened since the 2024 conflict, during which Israel killed many of its top military and political leaders. Under mounting pressure from the United States and Israel, Lebanese authorities previously agreed to work toward disarming the group. Hezbollah rejected the broader disarmament plan, calling it a joint US-Israeli strategy, and maintained that a November 2024 ceasefire required disarmament only south of the Litani River.
The Lebanese government recently said its army would need several months to complete the second phase of dismantling Hezbollah’s weapons stockpiles in the south. The first phase, covering the area between the Litani River and the Israeli border, was reportedly completed in January. The second phase focuses on territory between the Litani and Awali rivers, south of Beirut.
The renewed fighting threatens to worsen Lebanon’s long-standing economic and political crisis. Salam described Hezbollah’s attack as reckless and harmful to Lebanon’s security, arguing that it gave Israel justification for further military action.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces ordered evacuations in 18 villages and towns, claiming Hezbollah was operating from those areas. Reports from Beirut indicated that hundreds of thousands of people have fled southern Lebanon and the capital’s southern suburbs, raising fears of a growing humanitarian emergency.
The US Embassy in Beirut also urged American citizens to avoid travel to Lebanon and advised those currently in the country to leave while commercial flights remain available, citing the volatile and unpredictable security situation.
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