Key facts
- Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon as a "blatant violation of the ceasefire."
- The strikes targeted towns including Mays al-Jabal, Debbin, Burj Qalawiya, Al-Shahabiya, and Kfar Tebnit.
- One person was injured in the strikes.
- The Lebanese army stated Israel has violated the November 2024 ceasefire over 4,500 times.
- UNIFIL condemned the strikes as violations of Security Council resolution 1701.
- Israel accused Hezbollah of launching an explosive drone at an Israeli engineering vehicle, calling it a "blatant violation of the ceasefire."
Lebanon's Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, has condemned the latest Israeli attack on southern Lebanon as “a blatant violation of the ceasefire,” stating the attacks constitute “a flagrant breach of Lebanon’s sovereignty and security, as well as the principles and rules of international law.”
Earlier, Quds News Network reported that Israeli artillery pounded the Ali al-Taher hills in southern Lebanon. Lebanese officials and the army condemned Israeli strikes on the country’s south on Thursday, saying they undermined the army’s plan to impose state authority in the region and were a blatant violation of last year’s ceasefire agreement. The strikes, which Israel claimed targeted Hezbollah positions, came as Lebanon marked one year since the launch of Israel’s full-scale offensive. The Israeli military carried out heavy air raids on five towns in southern Lebanon shortly after an expulsion order. One strike hit the border town of Mays al-Jabal, where Lebanon’s health ministry said one person was injured. Other strikes targeted the towns of Debbin, Burj Qalawiya, Al-Shahabiya, and Kfar Tebnit, where roads were filled with people trying to flee ahead of the bombardment.
Following the latest attacks, Lebanon’s army said Israel had violated the November 2024 ceasefire more than 4,500 times, making it harder for the Lebanese Armed Forces to carry out their deployment in the south. The army stated that these attacks hinder its deployment in the south and that their continuation will obstruct the disarmament plan south of the Litani River. UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, also condemned the strikes, stating they are violations of Security Council resolution 1701 and put the fragile stability built since last November at risk. UNIFIL called on the Israel Defense Forces to refrain from further strikes and to fully withdraw from Lebanese territory.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun criticized the United States for remaining silent over repeated Israeli airstrikes. Meanwhile, the Israeli military on Wednesday accused Hezbollah of committing what it described as a “blatant violation of the ceasefire" after the Iran-backed militant group allegedly launched an explosive drone at an Israeli engineering vehicle in southern Lebanon. The military said no Israeli soldiers were injured in the drone attack.