In first, Lebanon government bans Hezbollah’s military activities

Lebanon’s government announced on Monday an immediate ban on Hezbollah’s military and security activities, after the group launched a series of rockets toward Israel, triggering intense Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburb.

“The decision of war and peace rests solely with the state, requiring the immediate prohibition of all of Hezbollah’s security and military activities, which are deemed illegal,” Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told reporters after an emergency cabinet meeting.

“Hezbollah is obligated to surrender its weapons to the Lebanese state and confine its activities to the political sphere within constitutional and legal frameworks,” he continued.

The Lebanese cabinet convened on Monday for an emergency meeting after Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a series of projectiles fired from south Lebanon into Israel early in the day. In a statement, the Iranian-backed group said it targeted the Mishmar HaCarmel missile defense site south of Haifa with a barrage of advanced missiles and a swarm of drones in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — a key patron of the group — in joint US-Israeli strikes on Tehran over the weekend.

Hezbollah said the launches were “an act of defense of Lebanon and its people” and also came in response to Israeli attacks that have continued for 15 months despite a November 2024 ceasefire that ended the 13-month war between the two sides.

In response, the Israeli military launched a massive wave of airstrikes in the south and in Beirut’s southern suburbs, warning that Hezbollah would pay a “heavy price” for the overnight attack.

In a statement on Monday, the Israeli military said Hezbollah’s intelligence chief, Hussein Makled, was killed in overnight strikes in Dahiyeh.

Earlier, the Saudi-owned Al-Hadath channel, citing sources, reported that Mohammad Raad, head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, was killed in the Israeli attacks at dawn. Neither Hezbollah nor the Israeli military has confirmed the reports. 

At least 31 people were killed in the airstrikes in the south and in Dahiyeh, while at least 149 others were injured, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

After #Israel’s initial strikes on #Dahiyeh, it began bombings throughout south #Lebanon. Israel claimed to have targeted “senior” #Hezbollah leaders in its strikes on Dahiyeh. #جنوب_لبنان #الضاحية_الجنوبية #حزب_الله #إسرائيل pic.twitter.com/NFemlKJ27b

— Nicholas Frakes | نيكولاس فريكس (@nicfrakesjourno) March 2, 2026

Israeli attacks continued on Monday, with strikes reported in more than 50 Lebanese villages and towns. The Israeli military said it had launched strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, targeting arms depots and infrastructure belonging to the group.

Another massive strike hit the southern suburbs later in the day, with the Israeli military claiming to have targeted “a senior Hezbollah terrorist operative.”

Meanwhile, widespread displacement from the south, Beirut and the Bekaa Valley continued on Monday, with videos circulating on social media showing heavy traffic and long lines of cars heading north.

نزوح واسع جنوب #لبنان بعد مطالبة الجيش الإسرائيلي بإخلاء 53 قرية لبنانية، حيث قالت صحيفة "هآرتس" إن جيش الاحتلال يستعد لتنفيذ عملية عسكرية في لبنان بهدف إقامة خط دفاعي عازل.#عربي21 #إيران pic.twitter.com/s4ILTtGsOG

— عربي21 (@Arabi21News) March 2, 2026

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said in a statement earlier that Hezbollah's attack undermines all efforts aimed at keeping the country away from regional conflicts: “While we condemn the Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory, we warn that the continued use of Lebanon as a platform for proxy wars in which we have no part will once again expose our nation to dangers.” 

Lebanon had been working to disarm Hezbollah following months of US pressure, as the Lebanese military presses ahead with a plan adopted last September to extend state control over all weapons in the country. According to the army, its forces have cleared the area south of the Litani River — about 30 kilometers (roughly 19 miles) north of the border with Israel — and are beginning the second phase of the plan north of the river.

However, Israel has continued near-daily airstrikes in the south, and occasionally in the east, even after the ceasefire took effect in November 2024, despite assurances from the Lebanese state that it is working to disarm Hezbollah. The Israeli military accuses the group of regrouping and rearming in violation of the truce.

The renewed Israel-Hezbollah exchange comes as the United States and Israel press ahead with their assault on Iran, now in its third day of sustained strikes.

This story has been updated since publication.