Tel Aviv/Beirut, 3 March 2026 (dpa/MIA) - The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) early on Tuesday said it was striking sites belonging to the Hezbollah militia in Beirut.

"The IDF is currently striking Hezbollah command centers and weapons storage facilities in Beirut," the military said in a brief post on Telegram.

In response to the killing of Iran's supreme leader ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday during a joint US-Israeli attack, Hezbollah fired several rockets at Israel on Sunday night. The Israeli military attacked multiple targets including in the suburbs of the capital, Beirut.

The Lebanese government then declared the "military activities" of Hezbollah, which wields far-reaching influence in Lebanon, illegal.

This shifts the Iran-backed group's status from a tolerated resistance movement by some Lebanese to an illegal militia.

Hezbollah is Iran’s most important non-state ally and is considered an extension of Tehran, especially in the fight against their common enemy Israel.

Photo: EPA