Israel launched a fresh wave of airstrikes on southern Lebanon late Thursday night, defying a standing ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah and drawing sharp rebuke from the Lebanese government ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival.
The strikes came shortly after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for neighbourhoods in Beirut’s southern suburbs — Hadath, Haret Hreik and Burj al-Barajneh — where it claimed Hezbollah was operating drone production facilities in underground structures. A military spokesman, Avichay Adraee, shared an Arabic-language social media post accompanied by a map of eight buildings across four locations, cautioning civilians to leave the vicinity as Israeli forces prepared to act.
The attacks, which extended later into the night with reported strikes on the southern village of Ain Qana, near the coastal city of Sidon, mark the fourth known Israeli airstrike on Beirut since the ceasefire came into effect in November last year. Tel Aviv has continued to justify its operations as targeting Hezbollah-linked infrastructure and leadership figures.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun strongly condemned the escalation, calling the strikes a “flagrant violation of an international accord… on the eve of a sacred religious festival”. He reiterated appeals to the United States and France to intervene and restrain Israeli military actions in Lebanon.
Also read: 12 dead in fresh Israeli strikes after US vetoes UNSC truce call
“Israel has violated the ceasefire daily for months,” said the Lebanese government in an official communique, echoed by Arab states and international rights organisations.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salman, in a separate statement, condemned the “continuing Israeli aggressions” and warned that Lebanon would escalate its diplomatic efforts to pressure the global community into action. “We will call on the international community to deter Israel… and compel it to fully withdraw from Lebanese territory,” Salman said.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz defended the latest operation. “We will continue to enforce the ceasefire rules without any compromises and will not allow any entity to create threats against the northern communities and all citizens of the State of Israel,” Katz asserted.
The recent episode has further strained the fragile ceasefire framework following a 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah that claimed over 4,000 lives in Lebanon, including a large number of civilians.
According to official Lebanese figures, since the ceasefire began, Israeli strikes have resulted in 190 deaths and nearly 500 injuries, adding to the growing toll and regional instability.
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