Israel bombs Beirut after Hezbollah launches rocket attack

Hezbollah says its attack is in response to the killing of Iran’s Khamenei and ‘in defence of Lebanon and its people’.Published On 2 Mar 2026Israeli jets have bombed Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, after Hezbollah launched what it said was a rocket and drone attack against a military base near Haifa in northern Israel.The Iran-allied Lebanese armed group said early on Monday that its attack was in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “in defence of Lebanon and its people” and “in response to the repeated Israeli aggressions”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Hezbollah promises to confront US, Israel over Khamenei killinglist 2 of 3Trump says likely more US casualties, attacks on Iran will continuelist 3 of 3Poll suggests only a quarter of Americans support attacks on Iranend of list“The resistance leadership has always affirmed that the continuation of Israeli aggression and the assassination of our leaders, youth and people gives us the right to defend ourselves and respond at the appropriate time and place,” the group said in a statement, referring to the near daily Israeli attacks on Lebanon.“The Israeli enemy cannot continue its 15-month-long aggression without a warning response to halt this aggression and withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories.”The violence marks a major escalation in what is becoming a regional war between the United States and Israel, on one side, and Iran and its allies on the other.Hezbollah, which operates independently from the Lebanese government, has been weakened by the 2024 war, which saw Israel kill most of the group’s military and political leaders. It is not clear how much damage it can inflict on Israel or whether its intervention can meaningfully alter the balance of power for Iran.Israel was quick to respond with air strikes in southern Beirut. Local news outlets also reported Israeli attacks in several villages in south Lebanon, as well as the Bekaa Valley in the east of the country.The Israeli military said it was “vigorously attacking Hezbollah” throughout Lebanon.