Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met his end in a joint US-Israel assault, prompting Hezbollah to shatter the post-November 2024 ceasefire with rocket fire into Israel from Lebanon. Air raid sirens pierced northern Israeli skies as the first projectiles since the truce rained down.
Lebanese Premier Nawaf Salam fired off a social media salvo, decrying southern rocket sites as dangerous folly that tempts Israeli fury and imperils the homeland. Sidestepping Hezbollah’s name, he committed to halting the threats and fortifying national defenses against escalation.
The IDF sprang into action, neutralizing one rocket mid-flight while impacts stayed rural. No deaths surfaced, but shelter scrambles left some bruised, per rescue teams.
Retaliatory airstrikes zeroed in on Hezbollah’s nerve centers across Lebanon, from senior figures to terror hubs. ‘By siding with Iran over their own government, they’ve targeted innocents—and we’ll make them regret it,’ asserted Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo of Northern Command. Beefed-up troops stand guard, promising unyielding protection.
Khamenei’s shadow looms large over this renewed hostilities. Hezbollah’s gamble risks dragging Lebanon into abyss, challenging PM Salam’s authority amid terror designations from Washington to Brussels. As Israel digs in, the specter of wider war haunts the Levant, with diplomatic off-ramps dwindling fast.