BEIRUT, Lebanon – Israel launched a wave of intense airstrikes across southern and northeastern Lebanon on Thursday as pressure mounts on Beirut to disarm the militant Hezbollah group along the volatile border.
The attacks came a day before a scheduled meeting of an international committee monitoring the enforcement of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah war a year ago. The meeting on Friday marks the second gathering of the mechanism since Israel and Lebanon appointed civilian representatives to a committee previously composed only of military officials. The panel also includes representatives from the United States, France, and the United Nations peacekeeping force deployed along the frontier.
Lebanon’s army commander, Gen. Rodolph Haikal, was in Paris for talks with American, French and Saudi officials on strengthening support for the Lebanese army and expanding its deployment in the border area. Haikal began his visit with meetings with French military officials.
French armed forces chief of staff Gen. Fabien Mandon said on X that discussions with Haikal focused on the strategic environment and security challenges facing Lebanon and the wider region. He said France’s assistance to the Lebanese army is aimed at maintaining stability and lasting peace while respecting Lebanon’s sovereignty.
The Lebanese government has said the army is expected to clear the entire area south of the Litani River of Hezbollah’s armed presence by the end of the year.
The Israeli military said Thursday’s strikes targeted Hezbollah infrastructure and launching sites inside a military compound used for training fighters. It also said several military structures used to store weapons and support recent operations were hit.
According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, or NNA, the airstrikes stretched from Mount Rihan in the south to the northeastern Hermel region near the Syrian border. Shortly afterward, a drone strike on a car near the southern town of Taybeh wounded four people, NNA reported.
Lebanese parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri described the strikes as a political signal. He said the attacks were an Israeli message ahead of meetings in Paris aimed at supporting the Lebanese army and the monitoring mechanism.
The latest Israel-Hezbollah war erupted on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel. Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel in solidarity with Hamas, prompting Israel to launch a large-scale air campaign in September 2024 that severely weakened the group, followed by a ground invasion.
Since then, Israel has carried out near-daily airstrikes in Lebanon, mainly targeting Hezbollah fighters. The office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights says at least 127 civilians have been killed in the strikes.
In recent weeks, the United States has intensified pressure on Lebanon to accelerate efforts to disarm Hezbollah and reinforce state control along the border.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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