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The Israeli military said Thursday it launched a series of strikes on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, shortly after issuing evacuation warnings to residents in parts of the region, despite a ceasefire agreement in place since late 2024.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli army ordered residents in three villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of expected attacks. The evacuation warning came even though both sides have publicly committed to maintaining the ceasefire.
"Urgent warning to residents of southern Lebanon, we will attack in the near term military infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah across southern Lebanon," military spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X.
Using maps to mark the targeted areas, Adraee said the strikes are aimed at preventing Hezbollah from rebuilding its military capabilities in the villages of Aita al-Jabal, al-Taybeh and Tayr Debba.
One person was killed and three others were injured in an Israeli strike on Lebanon’s Tyre district on Thursday, the country’s Health Ministry said, in what it described as another violation of the ceasefire agreement. According to the state-run NNA agency, Israeli fighter jets bombed an area between the towns of Toura and Aabbasiyyeh.
The Israeli army said the strike targeted Hezbollah fighters operating at an infrastructure site, while Channel 12 reported that Tel Aviv is preparing for a possible new round of confrontation with the group. The Israeli military has repeatedly stated that its operations are aimed at preventing Hezbollah from reestablishing military infrastructure near the border.
Tensions have been steadily mounting in southern Lebanon for weeks as Israel carries out near-daily air raids under the pretext of targeting Hezbollah positions, despite the ceasefire reached in November 2024. Sporadic exchanges of fire across the border have raised fears of a wider regional escalation.
Since October 2023, Israeli operations in Lebanon have killed more than 4,000 people and injured nearly 17,000, according to Lebanese authorities. The campaign, which expanded into large-scale air and ground assaults in September 2024, has displaced thousands of civilians and caused extensive damage to infrastructure in border areas.
Israeli strikes on Hezbollah have continued as Tel Aviv accuses the group of trying to rebuild its forces and restore its weapons capabilities. "We will not allow Hezbollah to rearm, to recover, or rebuild its strength to threaten the State of Israel," government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian told reporters, accusing the group of "continuous terrorist activities."
At the same time, Hezbollah rejected calls for dialogue, denouncing Lebanon’s political leadership for suggesting the possibility of direct talks with Israel. A source close to the group’s political wing told AFP the response came after renewed U.S. and Egyptian pressure on Beirut to pursue negotiations.
Israeli media reported that the government’s security cabinet is set to convene Thursday evening to discuss the growing confrontation with Hezbollah. The meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. local time (8 p.m. GMT+3), will focus on Israel’s next steps and the implications of continued cross-border clashes.
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The United States on Thursday announced sanctions on three Hezbollah members accused of managing financial transfers worth tens of millions of dollars from Iran, the group’s main backer, amid ongoing Israeli strikes. The move came ahead of a visit to Lebanon by John Hurley, the U.S. Treasury official overseeing sanctions against extremist organizations.
The Treasury said the sanctions freeze any U.S.-based assets of the individuals and criminalize financial dealings with them. Hurley said Lebanon’s stability "depends on Hezbollah being fully disarmed and cut off from Iran’s funding and control."
The announcement coincided with fresh Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, as Tel Aviv vowed to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its arsenal despite a ceasefire in place since 2024.
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