Israel launches airstrikes targeting Hezbollah near Baalbek in Lebanon

Officials confirmed strikes on Monday in the Beqaa region bordering Syria, a Hezbollah bastion

Israel has launched airstrikes near Lebanon’s eastern city of Baalbek, security sources and state media have said, in the second raid in the region since cross-border hostilities began after the Gaza war.

Since 8 October, the day after the war broke out in the Gaza Strip, the Hamas ally Hezbollah and its archfoe Israel have exchanged near-daily fire. The strikes have largely remained confined to border regions, but several have hit Hezbollah positions further north in recent weeks, raising fears of a full-blown conflict.