Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered attacks on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday, signalling further escalation of a war that has complicated mediation towards resolving the U.S.-Iran conflict.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said on Monday that Israeli attacks in Lebanon were among factors causing a delay to the diplomatic process to end the U.S.-Iran war, reiterating that a Lebanon ceasefire was an integral part of any deal.Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the Israeli military to attack “terrorist targets” in the southern suburbs of Beirut, known as Dahiyeh, following Hezbollah’s “repeated violations” of a ceasefire and “attacks against our cities and citizens,” a statement from Netanyahu’s office said.Having pounded Dahiyeh in the early weeks of the war, Israel has carried out only two strikes on the area since U.S.President Donald Trump announced a Lebanon ceasefire on April 16, even as hostilities have raged in southern Lebanon.A plume of smoke rises Monday following an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of Tyre, southern Lebanon.Kawnat Haju / AFP via Getty Images900-year-old castle capturedThe order follows an intensification of hostilities in the south over the weekend, with Israeli troops capturing the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle and Netanyahu ordering the military to expand ground operations.Lebanese authorities say more than 3,370 people have been killed in the country as a result of Israeli attacks since March 2, when Hezbollah opened fire at Israel in support of Iran as it came under U.S.-Israeli attack.Israel says 24 of its soldiers and four civilians have been killed over the same period.Israel has carved out a self-declared security zone in southern Lebanon where it has been razing villages, saying it aims to shield northern Israel from Hezbol...