Residents flee Beirut's southern suburbs after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered strikes on the area, June 1, 2026. (Credit: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)
A day after ordering residents to evacuate areas south of the Zahrani River, about 40 kilometers from the Israeli border, Israel intensified threats and bombardments across southern Lebanon, parts of which it has occupied since the war with Hezbollah resumed on March 2.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Monday that they had ordered the Israeli army to strike what they described as Hezbollah targets in Beirut's southern suburbs. The move followed Israel's capture of Beaufort Castle over the weekend and came despite ongoing U.S.-mediated talks between Lebanon and Israel, which produced no breakthrough during negotiations in Washington on Friday.
Israel has killed more than 3,400 people in Lebanon and caused damage estimated in the tens of billions of dollars, according to a preliminary Finance Ministry assessment released May 21.
In a statement Monday, President Joseph Aoun described Israel's campaign as a "fierce" and "condemnable" aggression.
Expanding threats
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke Sunday with Aoun and Netanyahu, with a U.S. official saying Washington believes Hezbollah must cease attacks before negotiations can advance.
Katz, meanwhile, warned there would be "no calm" in Beirut without an end to Hezbollah attacks and reiterated his goal of establishing an Israeli-controlled security zone across a large swath of southern Lebanon.
Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused Israel of committing "war crimes" in Lebanon.
According to a military source cited by Israeli daily Maariv, the Israeli army has prepared a target list and is awaiting final approval before launching strikes. Potential targets reportedly include Hezbollah leaders — including Secretary-General Naim Qassem — command-and-control infrastructure and weapons depots.
The threats prompted another exodus from Beirut's southern suburbs. The Lebanese Army deployed around the area to manage traffic, while schools closed and the Lebanese University postponed exams at its Hadath and Saida campuses.
Israeli forced evacuation orders and strikes
Residents of southern Lebanon also faced a new series of Israeli evacuation orders.
The Israeli military issued three separate warnings covering 16 villages. The first targeted Aaqbieh, Zrarieh, Marwanieh, Snaybir, Najjarieh, Addoussieh and Kherbet Bassal in the Saida district. The second covered Mleikh and Kfar Houna in Jezzine. The third included Houmine al-Fawqa, Arab Salim, Roumine, Aazze and Jbaa in Nabatieh, as well as Bnaafoul and Arqi in the Saida district.
Addoussieh was struck four times within minutes.
Israeli attacks extended beyond the evacuation zones. Warplanes struck a building in Harouf, while Sarafand, Yater, Kafra and Touline were targeted by drone, artillery and airstrikes.
The death toll continued to rise. At least four people were killed in Kfar Sir, one in Arabsalim, two in Nabatieh Fawqa and two in Shoukin, all in the Nabatieh district.
According to L'Orient Today's correspondent, the Israeli air force carried out 89 airstrikes on 42 locations Sunday. Israeli drones struck 18 targets in 14 locations, while artillery shelled 18 areas and destroyed homes in three others.
Hezbollah attacks
The Israeli army also announced the death of another soldier in southern Lebanon, bringing to 26 the number of Israeli soldiers killed since fighting resumed. The soldier was reportedly killed by a Hezbollah explosive drone.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, claimed responsibility for several attacks Monday after announcing 21 operations the previous day against Israeli troop concentrations and military positions in occupied Lebanese territory and inside Israel.
The group said it intercepted an Israeli Hermes 450 drone with a surface-to-air missile and launched a rocket barrage overnight toward Israeli military infrastructure in Galilee, northern Israel.
In the Bekaa, remnants of a missile that exploded over Rashaya overnight were discovered near homes in the Samah area, according to our correspondent.
Reporting by our correspondents Muntasser Abdallah and Sara Abdallah
