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Israel Says Will Continue to Strike Hezbollah 'Wherever Necessary'

People inspect the aftermath of a building destroyed in an Israeili airstrike in the Corniche el-Mazraa neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, 09 April 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
People inspect the aftermath of a building destroyed in an Israeili airstrike in the Corniche el-Mazraa neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, 09 April 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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Israel Says Will Continue to Strike Hezbollah 'Wherever Necessary'

People inspect the aftermath of a building destroyed in an Israeili airstrike in the Corniche el-Mazraa neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, 09 April 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
People inspect the aftermath of a building destroyed in an Israeili airstrike in the Corniche el-Mazraa neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, 09 April 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel would keep hitting Hezbollah "wherever necessary,” the day after Israeli strikes pummeled Lebanon.

"We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with force, precision, and determination," Netanyahu said on his personal X account.

"Our message is clear: anyone who acts against Israeli civilians -- we will strike them. We will continue to hit Hezbollah wherever necessary, until we fully restore security to the residents of the north" of Israel, he added.

Israeli strikes hit busy commercial and residential areas in central Beirut without warning on Wednesday, hours after a ceasefire was announced in the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Lebanon said at least 203 people were killed and hundreds were wounded, making it the deadliest day in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.

 

People walk among the debris of cars and a building destroyed in an Israeili airstrike in the Corniche el-Mazraa neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, 09 April 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

 

US President Donald Trump told PBS News Hour that Lebanon was not included in the deal because of Hezbollah. When asked about Israel’s latest strikes, he said, “That’s a separate skirmish.”

Israel had said the agreement does not extend to its war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah, although Iran and mediator Pakistan said it does.

There was no sign of Hezbollah launching strikes against Israel in the first couple of hours after the attacks.

In response to the attacks on Lebanon, Iran later Wednesday said it was again halting the movement of oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, the country's state-run media reported.

Lebanon's health minister said at least 1,000 people were wounded in Wednesday's strikes.

The death toll was the highest for a single day in Lebanon during more than five weeks of renewed war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Israel said Thursday it killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, an aide to Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem. 

 

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Arab World

Lebanon State Media Reports Israeli Strikes after Conditional Truce Announcement

This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli strike that targeted the village of Kfar Tibnit on June 3, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli strike that targeted the village of Kfar Tibnit on June 3, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
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Lebanon State Media Reports Israeli Strikes after Conditional Truce Announcement

This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli strike that targeted the village of Kfar Tibnit on June 3, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli strike that targeted the village of Kfar Tibnit on June 3, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Lebanese official media reported Israeli strikes on the country's south on Thursday morning, hours after an announcement that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to implement a conditional ceasefire following talks in Washington.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Israeli drone strikes along roads at several south Lebanon locations, saying at least one caused casualties.

Israel and Lebanon agreed Wednesday to implement a ceasefire but said it would require a "complete cessation" of fire by Iran-backed Hezbollah, according to a joint statement after US-led talks in Washington.

Arab World

Israel Far-right Minister Slams Ceasefire with Lebanon as 'Serious Mistake'

A photograph shows the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes in the Burj al-Chamali area near the southern city of Tyre, on June 2, 2026. (Photo by Kawnat HAJU / AFP)
A photograph shows the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes in the Burj al-Chamali area near the southern city of Tyre, on June 2, 2026. (Photo by Kawnat HAJU / AFP)
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Israel Far-right Minister Slams Ceasefire with Lebanon as 'Serious Mistake'

A photograph shows the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes in the Burj al-Chamali area near the southern city of Tyre, on June 2, 2026. (Photo by Kawnat HAJU / AFP)
A photograph shows the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes in the Burj al-Chamali area near the southern city of Tyre, on June 2, 2026. (Photo by Kawnat HAJU / AFP)

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir criticized on Thursday a ceasefire deal with Lebanon brokered by Washington, calling it a "serious mistake".

"The ceasefire with Lebanon is a serious mistake and the pipe dreams of advisers are dragging the prime minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) to wrong decisions," the minister wrote on X.

Israel and Lebanon agreed Wednesday to implement a ceasefire but said it would require a "complete cessation" of fire by Iran-backed Hezbollah, according to a joint statement after US-led talks in Washington, said AFP.

Arab World

Lebanon’s Shiite Duo Drops Israeli Withdrawal Demand in Ceasefire Talks

The Lebanese delegation participating in the Washington talks on Tuesday (Reuters) 
The Lebanese delegation participating in the Washington talks on Tuesday (Reuters) 
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Lebanon’s Shiite Duo Drops Israeli Withdrawal Demand in Ceasefire Talks

The Lebanese delegation participating in the Washington talks on Tuesday (Reuters) 
The Lebanese delegation participating in the Washington talks on Tuesday (Reuters) 

Recent statements by Lebanon’s Shiite duo - the Amal Movement and Hezbollah - indicate a tacit acceptance that Israeli forces could remain in Lebanese territory during an anticipated ceasefire phase.

This marks a shift from their previous insistence that any truce be accompanied by an Israeli withdrawal, the return of displaced residents to their villages, and the reconstruction of areas devastated by the war with Israel since 2023.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday blamed Hezbollah for the latest escalation, telling CNBC that it was being driven by Hezbollah rather than Israel and that his government remained committed to the ceasefire.

He also said that US President Donald Trump shares his objective of stripping Hezbollah of its arsenal and turning Lebanon into a demilitarized state.

A Lebanese source involved in ongoing contacts between Beirut and Washington said the demands of the Shiite duo, represented in negotiations by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, no longer focus on Israeli withdrawal or reconstruction.

Instead, the source said, their position is now limited to securing a ceasefire across land, sea and air, along with an end to the demolition and bulldozing operations carried out by Israeli forces in occupied Lebanese territory.

However, sources familiar with the duo’s position told Asharq Al-Awsat that the immediate objective is achieving a ceasefire in all its dimensions, stressing that subsequent steps — including an Israeli withdrawal, reconstruction efforts, and the deployment of the Lebanese Army to areas vacated by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon — would follow once a truce is in place.

Lebanese and Israeli diplomats held a second day of direct talks in Washington on Wednesday, the fourth such round since the outbreak of the war on March 2. The discussions coincided with an Israeli military escalation and intensified Lebanese contacts with Washington aimed at pressing Israel to implement a comprehensive ceasefire in Lebanon that would also apply to Hezbollah.

On Monday evening, Trump announced that a de-escalation arrangement had been reached between Hezbollah and Israel, saying that Israel would refrain from attacking Hezbollah and that Hezbollah would likewise refrain from attacking Israel. He also revealed he had stopped an Israeli strike on Beirut.

Israel on Tuesday underscored what it described as a “new equation,” under which it would strike Beirut’s southern suburbs if Hezbollah targeted northern Israel, adding that the United States had endorsed the principle.

Hezbollah Deputy Chairman of the Political Council Mahmoud Qomati told Agence France-Presse on Tuesday that the group would not accept any partial ceasefire agreement and rejected any arrangement that would trade an end to Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs for a halt to Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom voiced support for Lebanon’s negotiating efforts. The Lebanese presidency said President Joseph Aoun received a phone call from UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell to discuss security and military developments in Lebanon, as well as the course of negotiations.

Powell reaffirmed Britain’s support for Lebanon and its political choices aimed at preserving the country’s security and stability, according to the presidency.