Smoke rises from the debris of a building following an Israeli strike, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, as the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, in Sour, Lebanon, March 24, 2026. (Credit: Reuters/Stringer)
BEIRUT/SOUTH LEBANON — Over three weeks into the war, Israel and Hezbollah continue exchanging strikes in south Lebanon, with Israel planning to hold the area as long as needed, says Defense Minister Israel Katz, while civilian casualties rise.
"The hundreds of thousands of residents of South Lebanon who have been evacuated to the north will not return south of the Litani until the security of the residents of northern Israel is guaranteed," the minister declared, as Israeli strikes continued to cause multiple casualties, including among civilians.
Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah immediately responded during a press conference, saying that the Shiite militia would continue to fight Israel to prevent its army from occupying South Lebanon, stating that such an occupation would constitute an "existential threat" to Lebanon as a state.
Al-Amana-owned gas stations
According to its Arabic-speaking spokesperson Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army claimed Tuesday "a new series of strikes across Lebanon over the past 24 hours, targeting gas stations belonging to Al-Amana company, which finances Hezbollah’s terrorist activities."
It also said it had discovered the entrance to a Hezbollah tunnel on the Lebanese side of Mount Dov and destroyed a "military equipment compound" belonging to the Shiite group.
The army also claimed to have bombed "infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah in Beirut and other areas of Lebanon," including a headquarters of the party’s elite Radwan unit in Beirut’s southern suburbs; a site linked to Hezbollah’s intelligence department, also in the capital's suburbs and a Hezbollah post inside the "al-Nour" broadcast station in Tiri, South Lebanon.
Airstrike on Mieh Mieh camp
The Israeli army also issued new evacuation orders listing two buildings in Sour and several localities in South Lebanon: Kantara (Rashaya district), Shehabieh, Deir Kifa (Sour); Bir al-Sanassel, Burj Qalawieh; Deir Antar, Ghandourieh, Kfar Dounin, Sultanieh (Bint Jbeil). It also carried out strikes on a much larger number of localities, causing new casualties.
Two paramedics from Nabatieh, not affiliated with any political group, were killed by a strike that hit their scooter in the middle of the day, according to our correspondent.
Two other people — a man said to be affiliated with Hamas and his wife — were killed in an airstrike on the Mieh Mieh Palestinian refugee camp in Saida. The couple’s daughter was seriously injured, and someone living in a neighboring building also had to be rescued.
Finally, a 50-year-old woman was pulled alive from the rubble of her house in Arnoun in the Nabatieh district. The Israeli army also bombed the Bekaa, notably in Jib Sheet and Harouf (Nabatieh), Zeghrine (Hermel, Bekaa), and Shemstar (Baalbeck, Bekaa).
Hezbollah, for its part, increased its operations at a pace similar to recent days across several fronts in South Lebanon, including Taybeh and Khiam, where fighting continues, as well as Sour, Blat, Kawzah, Ara Hill (south of Yaroun), and Tallet al-Khammara. It also claimed attacks on positions and equipment of the Israeli army at Mount Adir, Ma’alot-Tarshiha, Hagoshrim, and Kiryat Shmona.
Iranian missile intercepted by a 'foreign ship'
Another event of the day: in the middle of the afternoon, residents of several areas considered safe, including Metn and Kesrouan, were startled by a series of explosions and scattered impacts happening simultaneously, notably near Beirut, Dbayeh, Jounieh, and Kleyate.
After a period of confusion, it turned out the impacts were caused by falling debris from an intercepted missile. Three high-level security sources confirmed to Reuters that an Iranian missile was intercepted for the first time in Lebanese airspace. Two of those sources specified that a "foreign ship" carried out the interception using its missile defense systems. The incident did not appear to cause any casualties.
Israeli army infiltration in Halta: 15-year-old boy killed
The Health Ministry reported that a 15-year-old boy was killed in Halta, in the Hasbaya district, when an Israeli force infiltrated the area. Our correspondent had already reported the death of a resident and the capture of another. According to the ministry, "an Israeli army force entered Halta at dawn and abducted a local youth under heavy fire, resulting in the death of a 15-year-old and injuries to another resident."
Since March 2, Israeli attacks have killed 1,072 people and wounded 2,966 in Lebanon, according to the latest Health Ministry figures. Over the past 24 hours, 33 civilians have been killed and 90 others wounded, the ministry added at the end of the day.
Reporting by our regional correspondent, Mountasser Abdallah.
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