Hezbollah continues attacks on Israel, IDF hits back despite renewed Iran ceasefire

While most of Israel returned to a sense of normalcy on Tuesday after some 24 hours of fighting with the Iranian regime, northern Israel remained in the state of war that has characterized the ostensible “ceasefire” with Lebanon, as schools and workplaces stayed closed amid daily Hezbollah attacks.

The terror group continued firing rockets and drones at Israeli troops stationed in southern Lebanon’s buffer zone on Monday evening, triggering red alert sirens in the Israeli towns of Metula, Shomera and Zar’it.

In response, the IDF launched several strikes, but only in southern Lebanon, focusing on the area of Tyre – without striking Hezbollah’s stronghold in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district again.

Hours before, Defense Minister Israel Katz had declared that “The rule for Dahiyeh in Beirut is the same as for the [Israeli] northern communities. Every attack on the northern communities will lead to a strike in Dahiyeh.”

Israeli media reported that the short exchange of fire with Iran, which was triggered by an Israeli strike on Hezbollah in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, hadn’t changed the underlying conditions, as the U.S. continues to oppose Israeli actions north of the Litani River.

The IDF had strongly criticized this state of affairs for the past weeks, arguing that its hands were tied while Hezbollah continuously escalated its attacks and began directly attacking northern Israeli towns again.

To put it simply: Israel and Lebanon are united in wanting to end Iran’s use of Hezbollah to prevent peace between the two countries.

Watch my full interview with @johnrobertsfox 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/XkJ1OX42wr

— Ambassador Yechiel (Michael) Leiter (@yechielleiter) June 9, 2026

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued in a televised speech on Monday evening that the fighting had changed this “equation.”

“In the last 24 hours, Iran and Hezbollah tried to impose a new equation upon us. And it is an equation I find intolerable and unacceptable. They thought they would fire at Israel from Lebanese territory and from Iran – and we would not act,” Netanyahu explained.

“After Hezbollah fired into Israeli territory, I ordered the IDF to attack terror targets in Beirut, and to eliminate Hezbollah operatives there. We did that. After Iran attacked Israel, I instructed the IDF to attack military and economic targets throughout Iran. We did that, too. At the moment, we are holding our fire, because after we struck the terror regime in Tehran, it ceased attacking us,” he added.

However, Israeli media outlets reported that the last Israeli strike in Iran came early on Monday morning, after which the Iranian regime launched another missile barrage. When Israel prepared for a counterstrike, U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly pressured Netanyahu to abort it and support a ceasefire instead.

🔎 REVEALED: Hezbollah’s underground terror tunnel network beneath the Beaufort Ridge, planned and funded by Iran.

The tunnel network contains living quarters, water and electrical infrastructure, as well as extensive anti-tank and aerial defense capabilities intended to target… pic.twitter.com/Hjsk1K3e17

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 7, 2026

“In practice, this morning we have returned to the reality that existed until the evening before yesterday,” commented Doron Kadosh, military correspondent of Israel’s Army Radio.

“The IDF is striking in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah is attacking our forces in the security zone in Lebanon. The IDF is restricted from carrying out strikes in Beirut and deep inside Lebanon. And most importantly: residents of northern Israel are returning to a reality of disrupted daily life,” Kadosh said.

In his speech, Netanyahu also appeared to push back against criticism voiced prominently by northern residents that the IDF is not doing enough to combat Hezbollah. Recent media reports suggested Netanyahu has also been dissatisfied with the work of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit and its ostensible failure to highlight the military’s successes in the area.

“Hezbollah planned to invade the Galilee with thousands of terrorists, and at the same time, it planned to devastate Israel’s cities with 150,000 missiles and rockets. We thwarted this threat as well – and we eliminated Nasrallah. And I would like to tell you: our heroic fighters are tearing Hezbollah to pieces,” Netanyahu said.

“We continue to destroy all of their terror infrastructure in the security zone, including massive underground facilities in the Beaufort Ridge. So massive that they are unlike anything I have ever seen. Iran and Hezbollah are weaker than ever, and we are stronger than ever – but our battle against them is still not finished… Together, with God's help, we will restore security to the north.”