Israel strikes eastern Lebanon for first time since Gaza war began

Israel has conducted strikes in Lebanon's eastern Beqaa Valley, the Israel Defense Forces said Monday, marking the first time Israeli warplanes have targeted positions in the region since the Gaza war started.

"In response to the launch of a surface-to-air missile at Israel from Lebanon earlier today, IDF fighter jets struck sites used by Hezbollah in the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon a short while ago," the Israeli armed forces said.

According to Al Jazeera at least two people were killed in the strikes, which targeted trucks outside the village of Buday near Baalbek. The Beqaa Valley is known as a stronghold of Hezbollah — an Iran-backed Shia militia and political party in Lebanon which supports the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Baalbek is home to ancient Roman ruins inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Since the war in Gaza started in October, in the wake of Hamas' violent attack against Israel, Western countries including France have warned against escalation in Lebanon, fearing that war with the impoverished country would spark a wider regional conflict.

Apart from a targeted strike in Beirut to kill top Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri — widely attributed to Israel — exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah had largely been limited to the southern border between Israel and Lebanon.

A Lebanese security source told Reuters that today's strikes mark "a broadening of Israel's campaign."

On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said his country would still target Hezbollah even if a potential cease-fire with Hamas is reached in Gaza. “We will continue the fire, and we will do so independently from the south, until we achieve our goals,” he said.