Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to 'crush' Hezbollah, ordering a significant escalation of strikes on the group's sites in Lebanon.
Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of targeting Israeli forces with drone strikes, including fibre-optic drones, but claimed Israel has teams working on countermeasures.
The Israeli military has struck over 70 sites in Lebanon, including in the eastern Bekaa Valley, and Netanyahu warned that Israel will intensify its blows and increase firepower.
The warning has triggered residents to leave the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Hezbollah has a large presence.
Hezbollah has carried out several attacks, including a drone strike on Israeli forces in northern Israel, and the US State Department has accused the group of neglecting repeated requests to stop the drone strikes.
A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, brokered by the US, has been in place since April 17, but the US official claimed that Hezbollah has fired over a thousand drones and over 700 rockets since the temporary ceasefire.
