Israeli fighter jets struck multiple towns in southern Lebanon on Thursday after warning residents to evacuate, signaling an escalation in near-daily attacks on the country.
According to The Associated Press, the strikes came hours after Hezbollah urged the Lebanese government not to enter talks with Israel.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for residents in Tayba, Tayr Debba near Tyre, and Aita al-Jabal, urging them to move at least 500 meters from targeted residential areas allegedly used by Hezbollah. A later warning was also issued for Zawtar al-Sharqiyah near Nabatieh.
The Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah military infrastructure in those areas and accused the group of rebuilding its forces nearly a year after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire ended a months-long war. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
“We will not allow Hezbollah to rearm themselves, to recover, build back up its strength to threaten the state of Israel,” Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said Thursday.
The strikes coincided with a meeting in Beirut between Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and his cabinet to review a military-drafted plan to disarm Hezbollah and other armed factions.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who has criticized Israel’s airstrikes and continued occupation of five hilltop positions in Lebanon, said he remains open to negotiations to reduce tensions.
Israel maintains its operations are aimed at Hezbollah personnel and military sites. The Lebanese government, which supports disarming the Iran-backed group, says the strikes have killed civilians and destroyed non-military infrastructure.
Hezbollah’s forces were heavily damaged during Israel’s 2024 air campaign, but the group has not disarmed. Its leader, Sheikh Naim Kassim, said Hezbollah remains ready to fight “no matter how limited their capabilities might be.”
Both Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other of violating the ceasefire that ended their latest conflict last November. The war erupted after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and expanded when Hezbollah began launching rockets into northern Israel in support of Hamas.
The violence escalated into a full-scale war in September 2024.
Lebanon’s health ministry says Israeli military actions since the ceasefire have killed more than 270 people and wounded about 850. The U.N. human rights office has verified 107 of those deaths as civilians or noncombatants.
No Israelis have been killed by fire from Lebanon since the ceasefire, and Hezbollah has claimed only one attack since the truce took effect.
