The Israeli Prime Minister ordered the resumption of air strikes on the ‘heart’ of Lebanon

“In response to Hezbollah’s continuous violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon and attacks on Israeli cities and people, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to airstrike this group in the Dahiyeh area in Beirut,” Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Katz said in a joint statement on June 1.

The IDF then issued a warning on X, calling on people in Dahiyeh to evacuate to ensure safety from air strikes targeting the “heart” of Lebanon.

In a separate statement, Mr. Katz said “there will be no peace in Beirut” if Hezbollah continues to raid northern Israel. He pledged to establish an area controlled by the Israeli army in the Litani River area, southern Lebanon.

Dahiyeh is a suburb south of Beirut, Lebanon, with a dense population. The area is considered a stronghold of Hezbollah because it is where the armed group concentrates its political and military apparatus. Dahiyeh has hardly suffered any significant air strikes from the IDF in the current conflict.

Videos posted by Arab media outlets showed Lebanese people evacuating Dahiyeh, causing serious traffic congestion on roads leading out of this suburb. Hadi, 24, said he had hoped the ceasefire would bring a period of stability.

“That feeling did not last long. Our fear increased this morning, after receiving a series of messages warning of bombing the southern suburbs, causing widespread panic. We immediately left the area,” Hadi told AFP.

Sources previously said that Israel has lobbied the US to “give the green light” to resume large-scale air strikes against Hezbollah strongholds. An anonymous US official said that Washington may be about to accept Tel Aviv’s proposal.

The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting at the end of June 1 in the US to discuss Israel’s expansion of its campaign in Lebanon. The European Union has called on Israel to “stop the military escalation”.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei today affirmed that “a ceasefire in Lebanon is an essential condition for any agreement to end the war” between this country and the US.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said that his country was facing “a brutal and condemnable act of aggression by Israel”. The statement was made in the context that Lebanon and Israel are expected to participate in the fourth round of negotiations sponsored by the US on June 2.

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah broke out on March 2, after the armed group in Lebanon attacked the neighboring country in retaliation for the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The IDF then launched a ground offensive into Lebanon, displacing more than a million people in the south of the country.

The two sides reached a ceasefire on April 17, but clashes still occurred. Israel announced that it would only withdraw its troops when Hezbollah no longer posed a threat to residents of its northern towns. Hezbollah affirmed to continue fighting until the IDF leaves Lebanon and stops daily air strikes.

Axios quoted a Lebanese official as saying neither Israel nor Hezbollah were interested in a ceasefire. This person accused the US of not putting enough pressure on Israel to prevent escalation and said that Iran encouraged Hezbollah to continue the conflict to help Tehran gain more advantages in negotiations with Washington.