Lebanese PM bans Hezbollah’s military activities after attack on Israel

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam says Hezbollah’s military and security activities are banned, hours after Israel responded to the Iran-linked group’s rocket and drone attack by launching air raids on the southern suburbs of Beirut.

“We announce a ban on Hezbollah’s military activities and restrict its role to the political sphere,” Salam said on Monday in a statement.

We declare our rejection of any military or security operations launched from Lebanese territory outside the framework of legitimate institutions.”

The prime minister said all Hezbollah military activities are “illegal” and called upon the security forces to “prevent any attacks originating from Lebanese territory”.

“We declare our commitment to the cessation of hostilities and the resumption of negotiations,” he added.

The Iran-allied Lebanese armed group said earlier on Monday that its attack on a military missile defence facility near Haifa was in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, “in defence of Lebanon and its people”, and “in response to the repeated Israeli aggressions”.

Israel responded by bombing Beirut’s suburbs and southern Lebanon, killing at least 52 people and injuring 154, the Lebanese government said in its latest update on casualties.

In a statement on Monday, the Israeli army said an overnight strike in Beirut had killed Hussein Makled, described as the head of Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters.