TEL AVIV: The Israeli Defense Forces have formally launched what they describe as an offensive campaign against Hezbollah following rocket and drone attacks on a military base near Haifa. Israel said it has mobilized 100,000 reserve soldiers along with multiple companies and battalions, warning that all options, including a ground invasion of Lebanon, remain open.

Heavy airstrikes by the Israeli Air Force targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon, killing 31 people and injuring 149, according to Lebanese sources. The National News Agency reported 20 deaths and 91 injuries in southern Beirut, while 11 were killed and 58 injured in southern Lebanon.

Israel said the escalation followed Hezbollah’s attacks, which the group described as retaliation for the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Previously, on September 27, 2024, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli military operation.

After Israeli warnings urging civilians to evacuate southern Lebanon, hundreds of thousands have begun fleeing their homes, raising fears of a widening humanitarian crisis. The conflict has intensified following joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran, spreading instability across the region.

The developments have heightened concern among Nepali workers in the Middle East. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1,500 Nepalis are in Lebanon, while 1,729,288 Nepalis reside across Middle Eastern countries affected by the war.