Israel strikes across south, eastern Lebanon in latest truce violation 

Israeli warplanes have struck multiple areas across southern and eastern Lebanon, targeting sites in al-Jabour, al-Qatrani and al-Rayhan in the south, as well as Buday and Hermel in the Bekaa Valley, according to an Al Jazeera correspondent on the ground.

The raids, which also hit Wadi Al-Qusayr near the town of Deir Siryan, mark the latest in a relentless pattern of strikes since a ceasefire took effect in late 2024.

Israel claimed the operations targeted Hezbollah operatives and weapons facilities in what Hezbollah officials have said is part of a campaign to pressure the group into surrendering its arsenal. Hezbollah has categorically refused to disarm while Israeli forces continue bombarding Lebanese territory and occupying southern border areas.

The strikes come just days after Israeli forces said they killed three Hezbollah members on Sunday.

Tensions escalated sharply several weeks ago when Israel bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah’s top military commander. The group has pledged to respond but says it will choose the timing.

Israel maintains it is enforcing what it describes as violations of understandings between the two sides, specifically demanding that Hezbollah relinquish long-range missiles, precision-guided munitions and drones that Israeli intelligence believes are stored deeper inside Lebanon.

The military campaign throughout 2025 has been devastating. Between January and late November, Israeli forces conducted nearly 1,600 strikes across Lebanon, according to data compiled by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED).

The United Nations reported in November that at least 127 civilians, including children, have been killed since the ceasefire began, with UN officials warning the attacks may constitute war crimes.

Human Rights Watch documented in a report released this week that Israeli forces have systematically targeted reconstruction equipment across southern Lebanon as the region remains devastated by Israel’s military campaign, with residential buildings and civilian infrastructure targeted in bombings.

The rights group investigated four attacks between August and October that destroyed more than 360 heavy machines, including bulldozers and excavators vital for clearing rubble and rebuilding homes.

The strikes killed three civilians and left more than 64,000 displaced people unable to return, with the rights group describing the attacks as apparent war crimes. One site owner told researchers he now clears rubble by hand, fearing that any machinery brought in will be hit.

Diplomatic efforts have continued in parallel amid the rising tensions. Lebanon and Israel recently sent civilian envoys to a committee monitoring the ceasefire for the first time in decades, a development aimed at expanding engagement.

On Monday, Western and Arab ambassadors, including representatives from the United States and Saudi Arabia, toured border areas alongside General Rodolph Haikal, commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, to observe the army’s efforts to assert control south of the Litani River.

The Lebanese government has committed to clearing Hezbollah’s armed presence from the border zone by the end of the year. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has said the group will end its military presence south of the Litani but insists it will retain weapons in other parts of Lebanon.

Qassem also criticised Lebanon’s decision to send former ambassador Simon Karam, a civilian official instead of an army representative, to the monitoring talks, calling it a concession to Israel.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said last week that Lebanon has chosen the path of negotiations to halt the continued strikes, while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called for stronger mechanisms to verify both Israeli violations and Lebanese military efforts to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure.

But Lebanese officials have grown increasingly frustrated, and the US ambassador to Lebanon recently made clear that even direct talks would not guarantee an end to Israeli attacks.