Israel Intensifies Attacks Against Iranian Proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is attacking Hezbollah targets in Beirut, and says it has deployed the 91st Regional Division deeper into southern Lebanon.

“The IDF completed a short time ago a wave of strikes targeting command centers, weapons storage facilities, and satellite communication components of the Hezbollah terror organization’s intelligence headquarters in the Beirut area, which were used under civilian cover,” the IDF said in a post on X on the morning of March 3.

It said the targets were chosen to prevent Hezbollah from carrying out “various terror plots” against IDF forces and Israeli civilians.

“Prior to the strike, steps were taken to reduce the chance of harm to civilians, including advance warnings, use of precision munitions, and aerial observations,” the IDF said.

Among the buildings that were hit was one in Haret Hreik, a southern suburb of Beirut, which housed the studios of Al-Manar, a television channel closely allied with Hezbollah. The channel confirmed the attack.

Israel launched Operation Roar of the Lion, a military offensive against Iran and its proxies, alongside Operation Epic Fury, which was initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump on Feb. 28. The combined onslaught killed Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Israeli Navy Kills Lebanon Corps Chief

The IDF said in a post on X that a strike on Monday by its navy had eliminated Rida Hazaa’i, who it said was chief of staff of the Lebanon Corps of the IRGC’s Quds Force, which works closely with Hezbollah.

On March 2, terrorist group Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, launched missiles and drones against Israel, provoking a response from the IDF.

The Lebanese Health Ministry says at least 52 people have been killed and 154 wounded since Monday.

Hezbollah published a statement on March 3 in which it said it fired rockets against what it called an Israeli occupation of military barracks and said it was a “legitimate act of self-defense.”

Hezbollah said it had repeatedly warned Israel that aggression without response cannot continue indefinitely.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) said the Lebanese army was evacuating “advanced positions” along the border with Israel.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had called on the informal Quintet committee of countries—the United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt—to pressure Israel to stop its attacks in Lebanon, according to NNA.

On Tuesday morning, the IDF posted on its Telegram channel that it had “identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel.”

It said that defensive systems were operating to intercept the threat, and that the IDF’s Home Front Command had issued a “precautionary directive” to mobile phones in the relevant area.

Israel is protected by several layers of missile and drone defense systems, including Iron Dome, Arrow, and David’s Sling.

Nine people were killed over the weekend by an Iranian missile strike in the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh.

Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the country has called up more than 100,000 IDF reservists since Saturday.

Defrin said Israel is keeping “all options on the table,” including a full invasion of Lebanon, and said “Hezbollah will pay a very heavy price.”

Israel is also keeping up its attacks on targets within Iran.

Iranian Leadership Complex Targeted

The IDF posted on X on Tuesday that it had struck what it described as the Iranian leadership complex in Tehran overnight.

“The Air Force, with precise guidance from Military Intelligence, struck government security buildings within the leadership complex of the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran overnight,” it said.

The IDF said the air strikes would deepen “the disruption to the operational continuity of the regime’s command and control systems.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an interview on Fox News’s ‘Hannity’ program, said, “We had to take the action now, and we did.”

“You’re not going to have an endless war,” Netanyahu told Fox, when asked how long the U.S.–Israel operation against Iran might last, and added that the Iranian regime is at “the weakest point that it’s been since it hijacked Iran from the brave Iranian people 47 years ago.”

But he also claimed Iran was rebuilding “new sites, new places” underground for making nuclear weapons, but did not go into detail or provide any proof.

“Operation Roar of the Lion will continue with full force for as long as required,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz posted on X on Tuesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.