Israel strikes near Lebanon’s Qaraoun dam as war intensifies: What to know

The Israeli military carried out strikes near a major dam in Lebanon on Tuesday, authorities and local media said, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that operations in the country are “intensifying.”

What happened: The Litani River Authority said that the perimeter of the dam in Qaraoun was subjected to “repeated attacks” on Tuesday, adding that roads leading to the structure, as well as associated facilities, were targeted. 

“Any direct or indirect targeting of the Qaraoun dam or its facilities may lead to catastrophic risks,” the authority said, the official National News Agency reported. 

The dam, officially known as the Albert Naccache Dam, forms Lake Qaraoun in the Beqaa Valley. The lake is the largest water reservoir in Lebanon and plays an important role in the country’s water security. 

The local news outlet L’Orient Today reported that Israel struck close to the Omais power station, located close to the dam, as well as other targets in the area. 

MTV Lebanon reported that Israel had struck the area at least three times on Tuesday. 

The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure on Tuesday and posted a video of a building being bombed, but did not specify where the strikes occurred. The military reported several instances of hostile aircraft entering Israeli airspace from the north, the most recent of which occurred at 9:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET). 

The Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, told residents of several southern Lebanon locales to evacuate their homes on Tuesday. He called on people in the city of Nabatieh to evacuate to the area above the Zahrani river. 

The National News Agency reported Israeli strikes in Nabatieh and the surrounding areas on Tuesday, and said 10 people were killed in an attack on Burj al-Shamali, located east of Tyre. 

Hezbollah said it struck Israeli military positions in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, including in the town of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, located about 8 kilometers (5 miles) south of Nabatieh. 

Why it matters: Netanyahu convened his security cabinet on Tuesday and announced that Israel is “intensifying” its operations in Lebanon. 

“We are reinforcing the security buffer zone in order to protect the communities of northern Israel,” he said in a video message. 

A day earlier, far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich called on Israel to escalate its campaign against Hezbollah. Israel’s air defense sirens in northern border areas are often unable to sound off before Hezbollah rockets make their impact, causing public outcry, according to local media. 

Hezbollah resumed strikes on Israel in early March after the outbreak of the US-Israel-Iran war in late February. Israel then began an intensive bombing campaign and ground invasion of the south. More than 3,100 Lebanese have been killed since then, according to local authorities, while at least 14 Israelis have reportedly been killed. 

A US-brokered ceasefire began in April, coinciding with the start of direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials in Washington. The ceasefire was extended by 45 days on May 15, following a third round of negotiations aimed at reaching a permanent deal between the two countries, but the truce has failed to stop the hostilities. A fourth round is set for May 29 in Washington.

Evacuation orders have affected roughly 15% of Lebanon, and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in late March that Israel intended to establish a “security zone” extending to the Litani River, located around 12 to 18 miles from the border. 

The Lebanese government, led by President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, has increased pressure on Hezbollah to disarm since the outbreak of the US-Israel-Iran war and declared the group’s military activities illegal in early March. Last month, Aoun said Lebanon is seeking a permanent agreement with Israel, describing negotiations as efforts toward “halting the Israeli aggression.”