Israel launches raids on eastern Lebanon

On Monday, the Israeli army began carrying out raids on eastern Lebanon, expanding its air campaign, during a ceasefire that did not succeed in completely stopping the hostilities with the Lebanese group Hezbollah. The raids on the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon represented the region’s first targeting since the US-mediated ceasefire came into effect on April 16, which led to a noticeable decline in the attacks, but completely without stopping it. Israel continued to launch raids across southern Lebanon, with its forces taking control of a strip from the south of the country, destroying homes it describes as infrastructure used by the Hezbollah group.

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz threatened Lebanon on Monday with “a fire that will burn the entire country,” two days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a military escalation against the Arab nation.

This came during a meeting Katz held in Israel with the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, according to a statement from his office, which did not specify the exact location of the meeting.