Israeli airstrikes hit southern Lebanon amid ongoing ceasefire violations

Israeli warplanes have carried out a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon in the latest near-daily attacks that have further strained a year-old ceasefire between the occupying regime and the Hezbollah resistance movement.

Lebanon’s state news agency reported that at least a dozen raids struck hills and valleys in the Jezzine and Zahrani regions on Friday, including areas near al-Aaichiyeh, between al-Zrariyeh and Ansar, and around Jabal al-Rafie and the outskirts of several towns.

In a statement, the Israeli military claimed it hit a compound used by Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force for weapons training, as well as rocket-launching sites and other infrastructure.

The strikes are part of the Israeli regime’s push aimed at forcing Hezbollah to disarm.

Hezbollah says it will not relinquish its arsenal while Israel continues to bomb Lebanon and occupy parts of the country.

Tensions escalated further two weeks ago when Israel bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing Hezbollah’s top military commander, Haytham Ali Tabatabai.

His targeted assassination marked one of the most significant Israeli violations of the ceasefire with the Lebanese resistance group in the past year, as Washington continues to back Tel Aviv’s widening wars across the region.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in exchanging fire since October 8, 2023, only one day after the occupying entity launched a genocidal war against the Gaza Strip following a surprise operation led by Hamas.

The Lebanese resistance movement vowed to keep up its retaliatory attacks as long as the Israeli regime continued its Gaza war. 

The Israeli regime escalated the conflict into a full-scale war by September 2024, killing more than 4,000 Lebanese and injuring around 17,000, most of them women and children.

The Israeli military also martyred Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Hezbollah, in its aggression against Lebanon.

Although a ceasefire was reached in November 2024, Israel has been carrying out near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon, falsely claiming to target Hezbollah activities, violating the agreement.

The Israeli regime is also persisting in its occupation of five key areas in southern Lebanon, specifically Labbouneh, Mount Blat, Owayda Hill, Aaziyyeh, and Hammamis Hill, all located in proximity to the border.

Hezbollah chief rejects disarmament calls, slams ‘Greater Israel’ project

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naeem Qassem says the resistance will not give up its defensive capabilities, having no regard for US and Israeli dictates.

The latest attacks come as Lebanon and Israel have, for the first time in decades, sent envoys to a US-monitored committee in Beirut, a step towards expanding indirect talks as encouraged by the Trump administration’s so-called “Middle East peace plan.”

However, the US Ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, has recently indicated that Israel’s participation in talks does not mean the airstrikes will stop, underscoring the fragility of the ceasefire and the risk of further escalation.

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem also criticized Lebanon’s decision to participate, calling it a “free concession” to the Israeli regime.

A recent report has revealed that former US President Joe Biden approved Israel’s continued bombing of Lebanon after its ceasefire with Hezbollah.

Former Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Herzog disclosed that Israel secured a “side understanding” with Washington to keep striking Lebanon.

This came despite the US being a supposed guarantor of the truce.

Herzog said he personally helped secure Israel’s “freedom of action.”

Herzog did not say whether such secret deals remain under President Donald Trump, whose administration also ignores Israeli violations.

With US backing, Israel has kept bombing southern Lebanon, killing more than 300 civilians since.

In one September strike, an Israeli attack killed four family members, including a 10-year-old girl and 19-month-old twins.

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