Israel launched a fresh wave of air strikes in southern Lebanon, just hours after the two countries held their first direct talks in decades.
The strikes targeted areas in Mjadel, Baraachit, Jbaa, and Mahrouna, with residents urged to evacuate locations the Israeli military said contained weapons warehouses linked to the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah. No casualties were reported.
An Israeli military spokesperson said the sites represented a breach of the ceasefire and added that Israel would continue to act "to remove any threat" to its security. The country has maintained near-daily air strikes in Lebanon since a ceasefire was agreed in November 2024, following more than a year of conflict.
Lebanese authorities have not yet responded to Thursday’s strikes. In the past, local politicians have condemned similar operations, describing them as violations of the ceasefire.
The attacks occurred within the framework of a phased agreement brokered by the United States and France.
Under this deal, Israeli forces were to pull back from southern Lebanon while Hezbollah was expected to remove its fighters and weapons from the area south of the Litani River, roughly 30 kilometers from the Israeli border—a plan Hezbollah and its allies have resisted.
In recent weeks, Israel has held positions at key border locations and intensified air strikes, citing Hezbollah’s efforts to rebuild its military infrastructure and what officials describe as insufficient action by the Lebanese government to disarm the group.
Thursday’s operations came less than a day after Israel and Lebanon sent civilian envoys to Naqoura, a Lebanese border town, for direct discussions—the first of their kind in decades.
The talks were hosted at the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission, Unifil, during a meeting of the ceasefire monitoring committee. Previously, the committee included only military representatives from the US, France, Lebanon, Israel, and Unifil.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the meeting "took place in a good atmosphere" and noted that it was agreed to explore "ideas… to advance possible economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon."
The statement also emphasized that Israeli envoys made clear "the disarmament of Hezbollah is obligatory, regardless of the advancement of economic co-operation."
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam offered a more cautious assessment, saying Lebanon remained "far" from normalizing relations with Israel. He stated the talks were focused on "defusing tension" rather than full peace negotiations.
"We are not yet at peace talks," Salam told reporters, adding that Lebanon’s priorities included stopping hostilities, securing the release of Lebanese detainees held by Israel, and ensuring Israel’s complete withdrawal from its territory. He also said Beirut was open to the involvement of French and US forces to help monitor Hezbollah’s disarmament.
The renewed air strikes and diplomatic discussions coincide with a visit by a UN Security Council delegation reviewing the slow progress in implementing the ceasefire.
