Israel announced Monday morning that it would renew strikes on Hezbollah’s stronghold in southern Beirut, after significantly curtailing attacks on the Lebanese capital for weeks at the request of US President Donald Trump’s administration.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement that they had instructed the Israel Defense Forces to strike Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

“Following the repeated violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon by the Hezbollah terror organization and the attacks against our cities and citizens, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the IDF to strike terror targets in the Dahiyeh quarter of Beirut,” they said in a joint statement.

Following the announcement, Arab media outlets published footage showing Lebanese civilians leaving Dahiyeh .The footage shows heavy traffic jams on roads leading out of the neighborhood.

Reports had earlier said Israel was lobbying the US to grant permission to resume massive strikes on the terror group’s stronghold, and that an American official had hinted that such a green light could be coming. Israel has been striking Beirut, but only sporadically and in specific circumstances.

Reports also said Monday morning that Hezbollah has rejected a new US proposal for de-escalation in Lebanon that would have required the terror group to halt fire first, followed by Israel.

حركة نزوح من الضاحية الجنوبية لبيروت بعد أوامر نتنياهو باستهدافها pic.twitter.com/vBDs9ca19z — العربية (@AlArabiya) June 1, 2026

حركة نزوح من الضاحية الجنوبية لبيروت بعد أوامر نتنياهو باستهدافها pic.twitter.com/vBDs9ca19z

— العربية (@AlArabiya) June 1, 2026

Israel has steadily expanded its ground offensive by capturing more areas in southern Lebanon, including the iconic Beaufort Castle, amid constant Hezbollah drone and rocket attacks on northern Israel and on IDF troops in Lebanon.

The escalation comes as a ceasefire announced in April has largely evaporated, and during landmark direct talks between Israel and the Lebanese government for a potential peace deal, which were set to continue this week.

Netanyahu held a high-level security consultation Sunday evening, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel.

The meeting came amid the Israeli........

© The Times of Israel