Israel’s military chief said Monday that the army has launched what he described as an “offensive campaign” against Hezbollah that could last for days, as fighting between the two sides intensified following rocket and drone fire from Lebanon.

“We have begun an offensive campaign against Hezbollah. We are not just on the defensive — now we are going on the offense,” Israeli army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said during a situational assessment after overnight attacks on Israel.

“We must prepare for several days of fighting — many days,” he said. “We need strong defensive readiness and continuous offensive preparedness, in waves.”

The escalation comes as Israel expanded its military campaign beyond Iranian targets to include strikes on Tehran-backed Hezbollah positions in Lebanon. 

Israel said it targeted sites linked to Hezbollah after the group acknowledged launching missiles and drones toward Israel overnight in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Hezbollah said it carried out a barrage of rockets and drones shortly after midnight from southern Lebanon, targeting an Israeli missile defense installation south of the northern city of Haifa. In a statement, the group said it struck the Mishmar HaCarmel air defense site and described the operation as a “legitimate defensive response.”

Hezbollah said the attack was conducted “in defense of Lebanon and its people” and in response to what it called repeated Israeli aggression and assassinations. It urged what it termed the responsible parties to halt U.S.-Israeli aggression against Lebanon.

Israeli jets responded with air strikes across Lebanon, including the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut. More than a dozen explosions shook the capital, according to local reports. The Israeli military said it had “precisely struck” senior Hezbollah members in the Beirut area as well as a key figure in southern Lebanon, without naming those targeted.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Israeli strikes in multiple regions, including Beirut’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah holds sway. The agency said the initial toll from the strikes was 31 people killed and 149 wounded.

The Israeli military said it was “vigorously attacking Hezbollah” throughout Lebanon and warned that the group bore full responsibility for the escalation.

“Hezbollah’s actions force the Israeli military to act against it,” army spokeswoman Ella Waweya said in a statement on X. “For your safety, evacuate your homes immediately and move at least 1,000 meters away from your village to open areas.”

On Monday morning, Israel issued evacuation orders for residents of more than 50 towns and villages in southern and eastern Lebanon, including in the Bekaa Valley and the town of Bint Jbeil.