Israel strikes Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

The Israeli military has announced it had carried out a fresh wave of airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon today, hitting weapons depots and a training facility linked to the Iran-backed group.

In a statement, the military said the strikes targeted “weapons storage facilities and terrorist infrastructure sites used by Hezbollah to advance attacks against the State of Israel.”

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) confirmed a series of Israeli airstrikes on mountainous areas in the Nabatiyeh and Jezzine districts in southern Lebanon, as well as the Hermel district in the country’s east.

The attacks come despite a ceasefire reached in November 2024, which was intended to end more than a year of cross-border hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel has continued its military operations in Lebanon and maintains troops in five locations it considers strategically important.

According to an AFP tally based on Lebanese health ministry data, more than 340 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon since the ceasefire took effect.

Friday’s strikes followed similar attacks a day earlier near the Syrian border and in southern Lebanon that reportedly killed three people. On Thursday, the Israeli military said it had killed a member of Iran’s elite Quds Force in a strike carried out in Lebanon.

The military reiterated on Friday that it would continue operations to “remove any threat posed to the State of Israel,” warning Hezbollah against rebuilding its military capabilities.

Meanwhile, under strong pressure from the United States and amid fears of wider Israeli action, Lebanon has pledged to disarm Hezbollah, beginning in the south near the Israeli border. The Lebanese army says it aims to complete disarmament south of the Litani River about 30 kilometres from the border by the end of the year.

Israel has expressed doubts about the Lebanese army’s ability to enforce the process and has accused Hezbollah of rearming, claims the group has denied while rejecting calls to hand over its weapons.