The New York Times reports:

Israel intensified its military campaign against Hezbollah on Tuesday, striking targets across Lebanon and advancing deeper into Lebanese territory after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to “increase the blows” against the Iran-backed group.

The Israeli military said it had struck more than 100 Hezbollah sites overnight in southern and eastern Lebanon, including weapons storage facilities and command centers. It also issued an evacuation warning on Tuesday for the entire city of Nabatieh, one of the largest cities in southern Lebanon, signaling that airstrikes there were imminent.

Mashghara, a town in the Bekaa Valley, was among the areas that were hit overnight, killing at least 11 people, including two children, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Asked about the strike, the Israeli military referred to an earlier statement saying it had targeted “Hezbollah infrastructure sites.”

“We are at war with Hezbollah,” Mr. Netanyahu said in a video statement on Monday night, adding that he had ordered the military to “press on the pedal even more.”

Two Israeli military officials, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive plans, said on Tuesday that troops were now operating beyond what Israel calls the “forward defense line,” an area extending several miles into southern Lebanon that Israel has occupied since it invaded the country during the latest conflict.

The war erupted in March, shortly after the U.S.-Israeli offensive began against Iran, when Hezbollah fired rockets across the border in support of Tehran. A U.S.-brokered cease-fire took effect in April, but tit-for-tat attacks have continued, with each side accusing the other of violating the truce.

Now, the violence in Lebanon appears to be intensifying just as President Trump and Iranian officials signal progress toward a possible deal to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

The terms of any U.S.-Iran agreement remain murky, but three senior Iranian officials told The New York Times over the weekend that it would also halt fighting on all fronts, including Lebanon. However, Mr. Netanyahu appeared to double down on Sunday, saying he had “reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself against threats on every front, including Lebanon” during a weekend call with Mr. Trump. [Continue reading…]