BEIRUT, Lebanon — A devastating Israeli airstrike struck a village in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley late Monday night, killing at least 12 people. The attack marks a severe escalation in hostilities as cross-border violence intensifies across the region.

According to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA), the strike directly targeted the eastern village of Mashghara. Emergency response and rescue teams working through the night recovered 12 bodies from the collapsed rubble, uncovering what local officials described as a tragedy that claimed the lives of several members of the same family.

The lethal bombardment occurred shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had authorized more intensive military operations against the Hezbollah militant group across Lebanon.

"What this requires of us now is to increase the blows, to increase the intensity," Netanyahu stated in a video message released shortly before the wave of overnight strikes began.

While the Israeli military did not issue a specific comment regarding the high-casualty strike in Mashghara, officials confirmed that their overnight operations successfully hit over 100 targets. The military stated these operations were aimed strictly at Hezbollah infrastructure, including command centers, observation points, and weapons storage facilities used to launch attacks into northern Israel.

In tandem with the heavy airstrikes, an Israeli security official confirmed that an additional military battalion has been called up and deployed to the northern front.

In response to the expanded air campaign, Hezbollah declared it launched a series of rocket, artillery, and exploding drone attacks targeting Israeli troops mobilizing along strategic river corridors in southern Lebanon. The militant group has maintained that its operations will not cease until Israel halts its daily airstrikes and withdraws its forces from Lebanese territory.

The conflict's humanitarian toll is surging rapidly. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, the cumulative casualties have risen to 3,185 dead and more than 9,600 wounded since hostilities flared on March 2. Additionally, near-daily exchanges of fire have forced over one million Lebanese citizens to flee their homes, triggering a massive internal displacement crisis.

The sudden surge in violence has injected heavy anxiety into the capital city of Beirut, where residents fear the outbreak of a renewed, full-scale war.

The timing of the escalation is particularly critical, coming just three days before Lebanese and Israeli military delegations are scheduled to convene in Washington for direct talks. While the Lebanese government has expressed strong hope that these diplomatic negotiations will pave the way toward a sustainable ceasefire, Hezbollah remains publicly opposed to the talks, clouding prospects for an immediate diplomatic resolution.