TOPSHOT - This picture taken from a position in the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel shows destroyed buildings in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, and smoke rising in the distance behind the medieval Beaufort Castle, known locally as Qalaat al-Shaqif or Shaqif Arnoun, following an Israeli airstrike on May 31, 2026.
Israel on June 1 said it would resume strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold mostly spared of heavy attacks since April, as hopes faltered to ease tension in the Middle East conflict.
“In light of the repeated violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon by the terrorist organization Hezbollah and the attacks on our cities and citizens, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have instructed the IDF to strike terror targets in the Dahiyeh district of Beirut,” a joint statement said.
Lebanon was dragged into the Middle East war on March 2 when Hezbollah fired rockets towards Israel in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli killing of Iran’s supreme leader.
A truce to halt the fighting in Lebanon began on April 17, but has never been observed. Both Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other daily of violating the ceasefire and justify their attacks by the other’s alleged breaches.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a weekly press briefing on June 1 that “a ceasefire in Lebanon is an essential condition for any deal aimed at ending the war” with the U.S..
An AFP correspondent saw families with small children packed onto scooters with just a bag or two leaving the southern suburbs on June 1, while others fled in cars carrying belongings including pillows and bags.
Hadi, a 24-year-old, said he had hoped for some stability in the area during the truce.
A senior U.S. official said that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Netanyahu about the ongoing diplomatic negotiations and said Hezbollah must be the first to cease attacks.
“To advance those talks, the United States proposed a clear sequence: Hezbollah must stop all attacks on Israel. In return, Israel would refrain from escalation in Beirut,” said the official.
The June 1 Israeli order comes a day after its troops seized the Beaufort castle, which commands sweeping views of south Lebanon, as the military expands its ground operations.
Israeli forces used the castle, also known as Qalaat al-Chakif, as a base during their previous two-decade occupation of southern Lebanon that ended in 2000.
