Israel has threatened to expand its war on Lebanon to Beirut on Monday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordering attacks on the capital's southern suburb as fighting with Hezbollah intensified across the south.
Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said they had instructed the military to strike targets in Beirut's southern suburbs, locally known as Dahiyeh , claiming the move was in response to repeated Hezbollah "violations" of the ceasefire and attacks on Israeli towns.
The threat prompted residents of Dahiyeh to flee parts of the area, while Lebanese media reported Israeli drones flying at low altitude over the district, which had largely been spared Israeli attacks in recent weeks following reported US pressure on Israel to avoid striking Beirut.
The increased violence comes despite renewed diplomatic efforts to restore a ceasefire. A US official told Reuters that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had separately spoken with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Netanyahu and proposed a roadmap for gradual de-escalation.
Under the proposal, Hezbollah would halt attacks on Israel. At the same time, Israel would refrain from escalating military operations in Beirut; however, it would continue its offensive in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces have killed thousands of people, displaced hundreds of thousands and destroyed large swathes of towns and villages.
The official said the plan was intended to create "conditions" for a gradual reduction in hostilities and an alleged eventual cessation of fighting.
According to the official, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri indicated that Hezbollah would abide by a ceasefire, but insisted that Israel must halt its attacks first, questioning what guarantees existed that Israel would honour any ceasefire agreement. Israel expands ground offensive in southern Lebanon Israeli media reported that Netanyahu held a second security consultation in less than 24 hours to discuss expanding military operations from ground offensives in southern Lebanon to an aerial campaign targeting Beirut.
Earlier reports said Israeli officials were awaiting a "green light" from Washington regarding requests to widen the scope of military operations, including potential strikes on the Lebanese capital.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah announced a series of attacks against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, including the downing of an Israeli Hermes 450 drone and a barrage of rockets and artillery shells targeting Israeli troops near Yahmar al-Shaqif.
The Israeli military announced that a soldier from the elite Maglan commando unit was killed and three others wounded, one critically, in a Hezbollah drone attack in southern Lebanon.
Israeli media reported growing concern within the military over Hezbollah's increasing use of explosive-laden drones equipped with thermal cameras capable of operating at night.
Reports said the group had carried out two successful nighttime drone attacks against Israeli forces within 48 hours.
Hezbollah said it had conducted 21 military operations over the previous 24 hours, targeting Israeli troops, tanks, military vehicles, helicopter landing sites and positions across southern Lebanon, including areas surrounding Beaufort Castle, which Israeli forces seized on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Lebanon's health ministry said an Israeli strike on Deir al-Zahrani killed eight people, including three women, and wounded 19 others, among them five children.
The National News Agency later reported that six people were killed in Israeli strikes on Briqaa, Toul and Kfarsir.
The Israeli military also issued evacuation threats for several towns south of the Zahrani River, ordering residents to move north as bombardment intensified.
President Joseph Aoun condemned a "fierce and condemned Israeli aggression" against Lebanon and vowed to continue efforts to end the suffering of Lebanese people, particularly residents of the south.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Israel's military escalation had reduced the space for diplomacy, while Qatar condemned the expansion of Israeli operations in Lebanon .
France requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday to discuss the worsening situation.
As of 30 May, the Lebanese health ministry announced that at least 3,371 people were killed and 10,129 wounded by Israeli attacks.