Israel warned Lebanon it would face "disastrous repercussions" unless it restrains Iran-backed Hezbollah, after intense Israeli air strikes and a rare helicopter-borne raid hit Hezbollah strongholds. Lebanon's Health Ministry says 294 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded since Monday, while evacuation orders have displaced about 300,000 people. Israeli forces said the Bekaa Valley operation searched for missing navigator Ron Arad but found nothing; the UN urged urgent talks to prevent further escalation.
Israel Warns Lebanon Of "Disastrous Repercussions" As Death Toll Nears 300
People inspect the damage where Israel's military carried out an airborne operation that dropped troops overnight, in the town of Nabi Chit, Lebanon, March 7, 2026. REUTERS/ Mohammad Yassine
Israel issued a stark warning to Lebanon on Saturday, saying Beirut must rein in Iran-backed Hezbollah or face "disastrous" consequences as Israeli forces intensified air strikes across Hezbollah strongholds and carried out a rare helicopter-borne raid in eastern Lebanon.
The confrontation widened into a broader Middle East clash after Hezbollah fired on Israel on Monday. Israel's subsequent campaign has, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry, killed 294 people and wounded more than 1,000 across Lebanon since Monday and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes.
A person holds bullet casings at the site where Israel's military carried out an airborne operation that dropped troops overnight, in the town of Nabi Chit, Lebanon, March 7, 2026. REUTERS/ Mohammad Yassine
Reuters footage showed the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, reduced to smoking rubble and twisted metal. In the Bekaa Valley town of Nabi Chit, heavy bombardment and the overnight airborne operation left deep craters, cars buried under dirt and one vehicle tossed onto the roof of a two-storey building. In Israel, air-raid sirens sounded repeatedly as people rushed to shelters over reports of incoming rockets and drones.
Rare Airborne Raid And Ground Incursion
Israeli helicopters inserted troops near Nabi Chit in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley overnight. Israel said the mission sought the remains of Ron Arad, an Israeli air force navigator missing in Lebanon since 1986, but reported recovering no material linked to him. Hezbollah said its fighters engaged the deployed Israeli troops and that the forces later withdrew; Israel said none of its personnel were injured.
A general view of the site where Israel's military carried out an airborne operation that dropped troops overnight in the town of Nabi Chit, Lebanon, March 7, 2026. REUTERS/ Mohammad Yassine
Casualties And Displacement
Lebanon's Health Ministry reported 41 people killed in the past 24 hours in strikes around Nabi Chit, and the Lebanese army confirmed three of its personnel were among the dead. Overall, the health ministry put the Lebanese death toll at 294 since Monday, with more than 1,000 wounded.
Evacuation orders have uprooted roughly 300,000 people, only about one-third of whom are staying in government-run shelters. A senior United Nations official described the scale of displacement as "unprecedented." Israel has ordered residents in a swathe of southern Lebanon, several eastern towns and the entirety of Beirut's southern suburbs—around 8% of the country's territory—to leave their homes.
A man stands at the damaged site where Israel's military carried out an airborne operation that dropped troops overnight, in the town of Nabi Chit, Lebanon, March 7, 2026. REUTERS/ Mohammad Yassine
Political Warnings And Diplomacy
"Your responsibility is to disarm Hezbollah. If you do not do this, Hezbollah's aggression will result in disastrous repercussions for Lebanon," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised statement. Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Lebanon it would "pay a heavy price" if Hezbollah were not disarmed, while saying Israel has no territorial claims on Lebanon.
Beirut ordered its army last year to establish a state monopoly on arms. Lebanese troops have seized Hezbollah weapons in parts of the south, but officials say fully enforcing the policy risks internal tensions because Hezbollah has not surrendered all its stockpiles.
Israel also warned Iranian government representatives still in Lebanon to leave immediately or risk being targeted. A senior Lebanese security source said more than 150 Iranian nationals, including diplomats and family members, left Lebanon on Saturday, with about 20 departing the previous day. The Iranian embassy in Beirut said it temporarily moved embassy families, teachers, students and other Iranian residents citing safety concerns.
People inspect the damage where Israel's military carried out an airborne operation that dropped troops overnight in the town of Nabi Chit, Lebanon, March 7, 2026. REUTERS/ Mohammad Yassine
The United Nations warned the conflict could escalate further and urged immediate talks between Israel and Lebanon to halt hostilities.
Reporting by Maya Gebeily, Laila Bassam, Maayan Lubell and Alexander Cornwell; additional writing by Angus McDowall. Edited by Reuters staff.
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