Israel’s military said on Thursday that it carried out airstrikes on Hezbollah positions across southern Lebanon, claiming the operations targeted the group’s efforts to reestablish its military presence in the area.
The Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, issued precautionary warnings to residents in several southern Lebanese villages ahead of the attacks.
“You are located in a building used by Hezbollah. For your safety, you are requested to evacuate immediately to a distance of at least 500 meters from the building. Remaining in the vicinity of these structures endangers your lives,” Adraee said.
The strikes mark a sharp escalation despite a US-mediated ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon that took effect in November 2024, ending more than a year of cross-border hostilities.
The conflict had erupted after Hezbollah launched strikes on Israeli military positions a day after Hamas’ October 7, 2023 assault, calling its actions an act of solidarity.
Under the terms of the truce, Israel was expected to end offensive operations and gradually pull back troops from southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah agreed to move its heavy weaponry north of the Litani River.
However, Israel has since continued its bombardments, alleging that Hezbollah violated the deal, claims the group has repeatedly denied.
Israeli officials confirmed that the country’s security cabinet will meet Thursday evening, with Lebanon expected to feature prominently in the discussions.
According to one official, Israel has been issuing warnings about “Hezbollah attempts to rearm and reestablish its offensive capabilities.”
Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held security consultations with senior ministers on the situation.
An Israeli source familiar with those talks said the military had proposed a large-scale operation to counter Hezbollah’s alleged rearmament.
Echoing those concerns, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar declared that Israel “cannot bury its head in the sand” as Hezbollah “continues to intensify its efforts to rebuild and rearm.”
Meanwhile, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stirred debate after suggesting that Lebanon might eventually have to engage Israel directly.
“Lebanon has no choice but negotiation, because in politics there are three fields of action: diplomacy, economy and war. When war leads to no result, what else can be done?,” he was quoted as saying by local media, remarks widely interpreted as a reference to Israel.
Responding to Israel’s latest offensive, Hezbollah accused the country of repeatedly breaching the 2024 ceasefire and attempting to pressure Lebanon into diplomatic recognition.
“(Lebanon) is absolutely not interested in succumbing to aggressive blackmail or being drawn into political negotiations with the Zionist enemy. Such negotiations serve no national interest and pose existential risks to the Lebanese entity and its sovereignty,” the group said, reaffirming its “legitimate right to resist occupation and aggression.”
The renewed hostilities come just days after US Special Envoy Tom Barack described Lebanon as a “failed state” run by “dinosaurs.”
He expressed skepticism over Beirut’s ability to rein in Hezbollah, which he claimed possesses far more firepower than the national army.
“In our opinion, it’s not reasonable to tell Lebanon, ‘Forcibly disarm one of your political parties.’ Everybody’s scared to death to go into civil war. The idea is: What can you do to have Hezbollah not utilize those rockets and missiles,” Barack said.
