Israel launched precision strikes on southern Lebanon on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring 11 others, in the first wave of military action and forced evacuation orders in weeks. The Israeli military said the strikes targeted the town of Tebnine after accusing Hezbollah of violating a standing ceasefire agreement.
The Lebanese health ministry confirmed the casualty toll from the strikes, which hit a cemetery in Tebnine and the nearby town of al-Mansouri. Families were forced to flee their homes as the Israeli military issued its first displacement warning to residents of the area since a ceasefire framework was established in June.
Israel said the operation was a direct response to what it described as a Hezbollah violation of the ceasefire. The military said it had identified Hezbollah fighters operating within what it terms a security zone in southern Lebanon, an area Israeli forces continue to occupy despite the diplomatic framework.
The strikes came just one day after direct talks between Lebanon and Israel resumed in Rome, mediated by the United States. Lebanon had entered those negotiations seeking to demonstrate progress in pilot zones where Israel is gradually withdrawing from dozens of occupied villages and towns, with the Lebanese army assuming control.
Lebanon has been demanding that Israel halt its extensive destruction and attacks on south Lebanon, where the military campaign has killed more than 2,900 people and displaced 1.4 million since hostilities began in March. The June ceasefire framework was intended to stabilize the situation, but violence has continued at lower levels.
Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the Israeli accusations. The group had launched rocket attacks on Israel in March in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes on Iran that killed former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, triggering a broader regional conflict that has reshaped Middle East security dynamics.
The latest escalation underscores the fragility of diplomatic efforts to contain the wider Iran war, which has already disrupted global shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and drawn in multiple regional actors. International observers have warned that continued strikes risk unraveling the fragile ceasefire arrangements.
The Israeli military said it would continue operations to remove any threat to its soldiers and would not allow Hezbollah to harm Israeli civilians. An Israeli soldier was moderately injured in the operation and evacuated to a hospital for treatment.
Sources: The National, Reuters, The Guardian
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