Israel has launched a series of air strikes on Lebanon after rockets were fired from Lebanese territory into Israel, marking the worst outbreak of violence since a ceasefire began in November 2024.
Flames and thick smoke rise over a densely populated city as night airstrikes light up the skyline, reflecting the intensity of ongoing conflict and civilian vulnerability.
According to the Israeli military, the strikes targeted dozens of rocket launchers and a Hezbollah command centre in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah is a powerful, Iranian-backed political and militant group.
Lebanon’s health ministry confirmed that the strikes killed seven people, including a child, and injured 40 others.
No group has claimed responsibility for firing the rockets into Israel. Several armed factions, including Hezbollah and Palestinian groups, operate in Lebanon.
A second wave of Israeli strikes followed later that night, targeting what the Israeli military described as command centres, infrastructure sites, and a weapons storage facility.
The escalation came just days after Israel intensified its military operations against Hamas in Gaza—Hamas being a close ally of Hezbollah. The Israeli military reported intercepting three rockets over Metula, a town in northern Israel. No injuries were reported.
Hezbollah has denied involvement in the rocket attacks and claimed it is still abiding by the ceasefire.
In response, the Lebanese military dismantled three primitive rocket launchers in the south and launched an investigation into the attack. Lebanon's Defence Minister emphasized the need to avoid further conflict.
Background and Ceasefire Tensions
This violence threatens a fragile US- and France-brokered truce that ended over a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. The ceasefire agreement required:
Hezbollah to pull back fighters and weapons from the southern border.
The Lebanese army to deploy more troops to the region.
Israel to withdraw from positions it had occupied during the war.
However, Israel has continued to strike targets it claims are linked to Hezbollah, arguing that these attacks are necessary to stop the group from rearming. Meanwhile, Lebanon accuses Israel of violating its sovereignty, as Israeli troops still occupy five southern locations.
Lebanon's Political Position
Lebanon’s newly elected President, Joseph Aoun, has reiterated that only the Lebanese state should have control over weapons—implying a push for Hezbollah’s disarmament. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned that the rising tensions could "drag the country into another war."
UN peacekeepers in Lebanon (UNIFIL) expressed alarm over the escalating violence and urged both countries to uphold the ceasefire commitments.
Hezbollah’s Losses and Challenges
The recent conflict devastated Hezbollah. Many of its leaders were assassinated, hundreds of fighters were killed, and large parts of its arsenal were destroyed. The group now faces immense pressure to provide aid to war-affected communities and to disarm, as demanded by opposition groups and international actors.
International donors have made it clear that Lebanon will only receive aid if the government takes meaningful action to limit Hezbollah’s military influence.
Origins of the Conflict
Hezbollah had entered the conflict the day after Hamas’s attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. That move triggered an intense Israeli military campaign across Lebanon, including a ground invasion of the south.
This war resulted in:
Approximately 4,000 deaths in Lebanon, many of them civilians.
Displacement of over 1.2 million Lebanese citizens.
About 60,000 Israelis fleeing northern border towns due to Hezbollah attacks.
Israel said its goal was to ensure the safe return of its displaced citizens and to eliminate Hezbollah's presence near the border.