Beirut: Israeli Military Strikes Targets in South Lebanon
On Monday, Israel’s military launched strikes on various locations in southern Lebanon, targeting two villages where it had advised residents to evacuate. The military stated that these operations were aimed at Hezbollah positions.
Despite a ceasefire reached in November 2024, which was intended to end over a year of conflict, including two months of intense fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, Israeli strikes in Lebanon have continued. The Israeli military has maintained a presence in five strategic areas.
According to the Israeli military, the strikes were intended to disrupt Hezbollah’s weapons storage facilities in the region, which they claim are used to regroup and rearm. They accused Hezbollah of conducting operations from within civilian areas, highlighting that one of the targets was situated in a densely populated location.
Evacuation warnings were previously issued for the towns of Kfar Tibnit and Ain Qana, where the strikes occurred. Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported damage to buildings in both towns as a result of the attacks.
Earlier that same day, the Lebanese health ministry reported that one person had been killed and four others injured due to an Israeli strike in Ansariyeh, another town in the south. Additional strikes in Qleileh also left four individuals wounded. Reports indicated that strikes occurred without prior warning, hitting vehicles in the targeted areas.
The Israeli military claimed responsibility for the death of an operative in Ansariyeh, stating this individual was involved in efforts to rebuild Hezbollah infrastructure. Lebanon has consistently condemned Israeli strikes as breaches of the ceasefire agreement.
In a related development, Lebanon’s military announced it had started the first stage of a plan to disarm Hezbollah, focusing on areas south of the Litani River, roughly 30 kilometers from the Israeli border. Israel has criticized the progress, claiming it does not adequately address concerns about Hezbollah’s rearming, while the group has rejected any calls to disarm.
Since the ceasefire, more than 360 lives have been lost in Lebanon due to Israeli fire, according to health ministry reports.
