Lebanese army detains 12 Hezbollah members after rocket fire on Israel

• Number of displaced people had reached 29,000, distributed across 171 shelters in various Lebanese regions, says official

BEIRUT, Lebanon / ISTANBUL

The Lebanese army detained 12 armed members of Hezbollah, as judicial authorities ordered the pursuit of those responsible for launching rockets and drones from Lebanon toward Israel, local media reported Tuesday.

The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBCI) said the army detained the 12 Hezbollah members at a checkpoint, without providing further details.

Al-Jadeed TV, citing unnamed security sources, said that Government Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Claude Ghanem issued judicial orders to pursue those who launched rockets and drones.

The channel added that the army set up a checkpoint on the Msayleh road in Sidon district to inspect vehicles returning to southern Lebanon, and tightened measures at the Awali checkpoint in Sidon to scrutinize cars heading south.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah.

Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said during a press conference from the Disaster Management Room at the Grand Serail that the number of displaced people had reached 29,000, distributed across 171 shelters in various Lebanese regions, due to the escalation between Hezbollah and Israel.

On Monday, the group said it targeted a military site in northern Israel in response to ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon and the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as part of ongoing US-Israeli strikes on Tehran since Saturday.

In response, the Israeli army launched a series of airstrikes across Lebanon, killing at least 40 people and injuring nearly 250 others.

Following the escalation, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced a ban on Hezbollah’s security and military activities and confined the group’s role to the political sphere.

Since early Tuesday, the Israeli army has shelled 24 Lebanese villages as well as the southern city of Sidon, according to an Anadolu reporter.

The latest attacks came amid repeated Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024, killing and wounding hundreds of people. Israel continues to occupy five Lebanese hilltops seized during the latest war, in addition to other Lebanese areas it has held for decades.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul