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Hezbollah fires rockets at IDF in Lebanon as ceasefire collapses

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Key Developments
  • ▸Hezbollah fired several rockets and explosive drones at IDF troops stationed in southern Lebanon on May 3; the IDF said the projectiles exploded near forces but caused no injuries, the Israeli military stated.
  • ▸Israel's military issued new evacuation warnings on May 3 for villages in southern Lebanon beyond the area it currently occupies, despite a US-brokered truce meant to halt fighting with Hezbollah, according to AFP.
  • ▸Israeli airstrikes hit the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah in southern Lebanon, with AFP photographs showing smoke rising from the site on May 3.
  • ▸Lebanon's Ministry of Health reported that Israeli strikes in the previous 24-hour period killed at least 41 people, raising the total death toll since March 2 to 2,659, with 8,183 injured, according to Al Jazeera citing Lebanese health authorities.
  • ▸US President Donald Trump said on May 2 he had not reviewed Iran's latest peace proposal but was unlikely to accept it because Iran had 'not yet paid a big enough price,' while publicly musing about restarting airstrikes on Iran, according to the Times of Israel.

Hezbollah fires rockets at IDF in Lebanon as ceasefire collapses

Confidence: HIGH (82/100)  |  May 03, 2026  |  Israel

Hezbollah fires rockets at IDF in Lebanon as ceasefire collapses aljazeera.com

In one sentence: Hezbollah fired rockets and drones at IDF forces in southern Lebanon on May 3, with Israel retaliating with airstrikes on villages despite an active ceasefire.

Why it matters: The US-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon exists in name only, with Al Jazeera's correspondent reporting the war is 'expanding' on the ground. Israel issuing fresh evacuation warnings for villages beyond its occupied zone signals a potential further advance into Lebanese territory. With Trump publicly musing about restarting strikes on Iran and rejecting Tehran's latest peace proposal, the Lebanon front risks being pulled deeper into the broader unresolved Iran war.

What Happened Today

  • Hezbollah fired several rockets and explosive drones at IDF troops stationed in southern Lebanon on May 3; the IDF said the projectiles exploded near forces but caused no injuries, the Israeli military stated.
  • Israel's military issued new evacuation warnings on May 3 for villages in southern Lebanon beyond the area it currently occupies, despite a US-brokered truce meant to halt fighting with Hezbollah, according to AFP.
  • Israeli airstrikes hit the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah in southern Lebanon, with AFP photographs showing smoke rising from the site on May 3.
  • Lebanon's Ministry of Health reported that Israeli strikes in the previous 24-hour period killed at least 41 people, raising the total death toll since March 2 to 2,659, with 8,183 injured, according to Al Jazeera citing Lebanese health authorities.
  • US President Donald Trump said on May 2 he had not reviewed Iran's latest peace proposal but was unlikely to accept it because Iran had 'not yet paid a big enough price,' while publicly musing about restarting airstrikes on Iran, according to the Times of Israel.

Contested Claims

  • Israel Defense Forces: Israel says its strikes in Lebanon target Hezbollah military infrastructure and personnel. Al Jazeera, citing Lebanon's Ministry of Health: Many of the dead in Lebanon were civilians, not Hezbollah fighters.
  • Pakistan Foreign Ministry: Pakistan asserted that the terms of the US-Iran truce included Lebanon, meaning Israeli operations there violate the ceasefire framework. Israeli government and US officials, per Wikipedia citing multiple sources: Both Tel Aviv and Washington denied that the Iran war ceasefire terms covered Lebanon.

Unverified / Single Source

  • (Unverified — single source) The IDF is preparing a plan to continue ground operations and occupation in Lebanon even after the Iran war ends. [Yedioth Ahronoth (Israeli newspaper)]

Key Figures

MetricValueSource
Total killed in Lebanon since Israel renewed widespread attacks on March 2, 20262,659 dead, 8,183 injuredLebanon Ministry of Health, via Al Jazeera
Killed in Lebanon in single 24-hour period ending May 241Lebanon Ministry of Health, via Al Jazeera
IDF divisions deployed in southern Lebanon5 divisions (36th, 91st, 98th, 146th, 162nd)Wikipedia citing Israeli military sources
Displaced persons in Lebanon since outbreak of warMore than 1 million registered displacedAl Jazeera

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon? A 10-day ceasefire brokered in Washington began April 17 and was extended by Trump for three more weeks. However, Al Jazeera's Beirut correspondent described it as 'a diplomatic construct' that exists in name only, with daily Israeli strikes and Hezbollah attacks continuing in the south.

How many people have been killed in Lebanon since the 2026 fighting began? Lebanon's Ministry of Health reports 2,659 people killed and 8,183 injured since Israel renewed large-scale attacks on March 2, 2026. More than one million people in Lebanon have been registered as displaced since the start of the broader war.

What is the connection between the Lebanon fighting and the broader Iran war? Hezbollah, Iran's primary proxy in Lebanon, resumed attacks alongside Iran's war with the US and Israel that began February 28, 2026. Iran has conditioned any ceasefire deal on a halt to Israeli operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, directly linking the two fronts. The US and Israel deny this linkage.

Background

The 2026 Lebanon war is a continuation of Israel-Hezbollah hostilities that resumed in March 2026, parallel to the broader US-Israel military campaign against Iran launched on February 28, 2026 (Operation Epic Fury/Roaring Lion). Israel has deployed five army divisions into southern Lebanon, capturing dozens of towns, while Hezbollah continues to fire rockets and deploy fibre-optic-guided drones against IDF forces. A November 2024 ceasefire had paused the prior round of fighting, but Israel continued near-daily strikes, and Hezbollah rebuilt its military capacity before full-scale hostilities resumed.

Sources

Hezbollah fires rockets at IDF in Lebanon as ceasefire collapses
Image via aljazeera.com
Source Verification
✓ Verified Facts
  • ✓Hezbollah fired several rockets and explosive drones at IDF troops stationed in southern Lebanon on May 3; the IDF said the projectiles exploded near forces but caused no injuries, the Israeli military stated.
  • ✓Israel's military issued new evacuation warnings on May 3 for villages in southern Lebanon beyond the area it currently occupies, despite a US-brokered truce meant to halt fighting with Hezbollah, according to AFP.
  • ✓Israeli airstrikes hit the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah in southern Lebanon, with AFP photographs showing smoke rising from the site on May 3.
  • ✓Lebanon's Ministry of Health reported that Israeli strikes in the previous 24-hour period killed at least 41 people, raising the total death toll since March 2 to 2,659, with 8,183 injured, according to Al Jazeera citing Lebanese health authorities.
  • ✓US President Donald Trump said on May 2 he had not reviewed Iran's latest peace proposal but was unlikely to accept it because Iran had 'not yet paid a big enough price,' while publicly musing about restarting airstrikes on Iran, according to the Times of Israel.
⚠ Disputed Claims
  • ⚠
    Israel Defense Forces
    Israel says its strikes in Lebanon target Hezbollah military infrastructure and personnel.
    vs
    Al Jazeera, citing Lebanon's Ministry of Health
    Many of the dead in Lebanon were civilians, not Hezbollah fighters.
  • ⚠
    Pakistan Foreign Ministry
    Pakistan asserted that the terms of the US-Iran truce included Lebanon, meaning Israeli operations there violate the ceasefire framework.
    vs
    Israeli government and US officials, per Wikipedia citing multiple sources
    Both Tel Aviv and Washington denied that the Iran war ceasefire terms covered Lebanon.
○ Unconfirmed
  • ○
    The IDF is preparing a plan to continue ground operations and occupation in Lebanon even after the Iran war ends.(Yedioth Ahronoth (Israeli newspaper))
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon?
A 10-day ceasefire brokered in Washington began April 17 and was extended by Trump for three more weeks. However, Al Jazeera's Beirut correspondent described it as 'a diplomatic construct' that exists in name only, with daily Israeli strikes and Hezbollah attacks continuing in the south.
How many people have been killed in Lebanon since the 2026 fighting began?
Lebanon's Ministry of Health reports 2,659 people killed and 8,183 injured since Israel renewed large-scale attacks on March 2, 2026. More than one million people in Lebanon have been registered as displaced since the start of the broader war.
What is the connection between the Lebanon fighting and the broader Iran war?
Hezbollah, Iran's primary proxy in Lebanon, resumed attacks alongside Iran's war with the US and Israel that began February 28, 2026. Iran has conditioned any ceasefire deal on a halt to Israeli operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, directly linking the two fronts. The US and Israel deny this linkage.