Conflict With Hezbollah in Lebanon
In the aftermath of Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, has engaged in ongoing cross-border strikes with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Until September 2024, Israel-Hezbollah clashes were mostly tit-for-tat strikes. But on September 17 and 18, Israel escalated the conflict by detonating the pagers and walkie-talkies of thousands of Hezbollah members. Israel’s sabotage attack dealt a symbolic blow to Hezbollah, serving as a precursor for the September 27 assassination of leader Hassan Nasrallah, one of nearly ten Hezbollah leadership killings by Israel that month. Israel’s targeted attacks on Hezbollah senior members effectively decapitated the group’s leadership ahead of the IDF’s ground invasion of southern Lebanon on September 30. This fall, Israel’s war cabinet voted to expand its official war aims to include returning its sixty thousand displaced residents to their homes in northern Israel; now, government officials have spoken about toppling Hezbollah completely. Israel has since extended its campaign to northern Lebanon, and the UN Refugee Agency estimates that 25 percent of the country is now under Israeli evacuation orders. Meanwhile, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has repudiated Israel’s “deliberate” attacks against its forces.
Background
After gaining independence in 1943, Lebanon’s new political leaders created a system of governance that would allow for the proportional representation of the country’s three major religious groups: Maronite Christians (represented by the president), Shiite Muslims (represented by the speaker of parliament), and Sunni Muslims (represented by the prime minister). However, unresolved sectarian differences eventually devolved into a civil war that lasted from 1975 to 1990, in which both Israeli and Syrian forces intervened—and more than one hundred thousand people died. Syrian forces withdrew from Lebanon in 2005 following the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, but a war between Israel and Hezbollah quickly followed in 2006.
Since these hostilities, sectarian tensions between Hezbollah and other religious sects have increased, particularly among Sunnis and Maronite Christians. The unique balance of power within the country has made it increasingly difficult for all stakeholders to come to political agreements, especially when it comes to filling the presidency. In addition to a two-and-a-half-year leadership gap from 2014 to 2016, Lebanon is currently without a president after the conclusion of Michel Aoun’s contentious term in October 2022. Furthermore, Lebanese politics has become a proxy battleground for Iran, which provides support for Hezbollah; and Saudi Arabia, which backed former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and other Sunni politicians.
Lebanon’s tenuous political situation can largely be attributed to political gridlock but has also occurred because of spillover from the Syrian civil war. In addition to hosting more than 1.5 million refugees (over 800,000 of whom are Syrian), the nearly thirteen-year conflict in Syria has affected cross-border trade and dampened Lebanon’s tourism industry. In addition to the world’s third-highest ratio of debt to gross domestic product, Lebanon also maintains one of the largest refugee populations per capita.
Despite Lebanon’s dissociation policy, Hezbollah’s armed component has also been involved in the Syrian civil war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This has exacerbated relations between Hezbollah and Israel along the shared (and disputed) Israel-Lebanon border and has led to increasingly hostile rhetorical exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel over Israeli air strikes in Syria. Hezbollah has allegedly supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since the start of the Syrian war in 2011.
In October 2019, widespread protests erupted throughout Lebanon as a result of endemic corruption and a complete stagnation of the economy. Protestors—coming from all religious sects—called for the establishment of a new political regime, which did away with the sectarian divides that had plagued the country since its independence. This rare unity among the citizens resulted in the resignation of the Cabinet of Ministers and put into motion the reshuffling of the government. However, the COVID-19 pandemic put an effective end to any change that had been culminating.
Tensions between the government and its citizens reached an all-time high once again following an explosion at the Port of Beirut in August 2020, which cost an estimated $15 billion in damages and left more than 300,000 homeless. The explosion—which many attributed to years of government negligence—reignited widespread protests and saw the entire cabinet resign, with the government staying on only in a caretaker capacity. The domestic investigation into the explosion has become a highly politicized affair as the Shia-majority political parties, Amal and Hezbollah, have moved to obstruct the investigation by shielding politicians and threatening the presiding judge.
Recent Developments
The culmination of several factors, including widespread government corruption, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Beirut port explosion, have led to the worst financial crisis in the small country’s history. After Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced that Lebanon would default on its Eurobond debt for the first time, the Lebanese currency began to plummet in valuation, leading to hyperinflation. In April 2023, Lebanese inflation hit a high at almost 270 percent, reducing to 254 percent in June 2023. Despite being pegged to the United States Dollar at a rate of £L1507.5 per dollar since 1997, the Lebanese pound reached a new low of more than £L100,000 per dollar in March 2023.
In 2022, the Lebanese government and the IMF came to a staff-level agreement that would provide billions in economic assistance. The deal, however, is contingent on implementing several complex economic reforms that would increase financial and political transparency in Lebanon. While the government has been slow to implement reforms, more than 80 percent of the population lives in multidimensional poverty. Following the conclusion of President Michel Aoun’s term, the government has been unable to elect a new president, leaving the country in a political and economic vacuum. In June 2023, protests aimed at banks and politicians erupted after lawmakers failed in their twelfth attempt to elect a president. As of February 2024, the presidency remains vacant, with no indication of when the seat will be filled.
In early October 2023, tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border spiked in the wake of Hamas’ attack on Israel from Gaza and Israel’s subsequent military campaign against the militant group. Though separate entities, Hezbollah and Hamas have long been united in their shared objective of armed resistance against Israel. Hezbollah not only voiced support for the attack but also fired artillery and rockets in solidarity with Palestinians across Israel’s northern border, raising fears that another front would be opened leading to a broader conflict in the Middle East. Within the first few days of the war, at least three of Hezbollah’s members were killed during an Israeli bombardment of southern Lebanon.”
To send a message of deterrence to Iran and Hezbollah, the United States quickly deployed two of the Navy’s most powerful carrier strike groups to the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Despite its posturing, the Biden administration made it clear that the carriers and their accompanying weaponry were not there to engage in combat activities on behalf of Israel. This move by the United States did little to deter Hezbollah – in November 2023, the party’s leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, pledged that the front against its enemy would remain indefinitely active.
As of February 2024, fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli military along the southern Lebanese border continues to escalate, having displaced over 90,000 individuals from south Lebanon. Since October 7, 2023, more than 1,700 rockets have been fired from Lebanon toward Israel, killing 15 Israelis, and injuring more than 150 people, according to the Israeli military. Approximately 158 Lebanese people have been killed in the ongoing violence including at least 25 civilians, and 686 people have been wounded. On October 13, a Reuters journalist was killed and six other journalists were wounded in shelling by Israeli forces while they were reporting at the border. Fueled by concerns about journalists being potentially targeted in Gaza and south Lebanon, human rights organizations have called for an investigation into the attack. On November 5, an Israeli air strike on a car between the southern Lebanese villages of Aynata and Aitaroun killed three girls between the ages of ten and fourteen and their grandmother, sparking outrage throughout the country.
On January 2, 2024, Israel launched a drone strike on a Hamas office in Dahiyeb, a southern suburb of Beirut, killing seven people. Though the Israeli military and intelligence service have historically conducted assassinations on Palestinian leaders in Lebanon, this strike was the first in the country’s capital since 2006. Among those killed were Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy chief of the Hamas political bureau, and two senior commanders of the Qassam Brigades. In response, Hezbollah’s Nasrallah pledged to retaliate, while Lebanon filed a complaint to the United Nations Security Council over the assassination. As of February 2024, the border remains volatile, with near-daily exchanges of fire, driving fears of regional spillover of the Gaza conflict.
Direct Talks Between Israel and Lebanon
For the first time in decades, both sides sent non-military representatives to ceasefire discussions along the border, reflecting U.S. efforts to shift the forum toward wider political and economic dialogue; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that the meeting could help usher in a bilateral relationship (Reuters). Still, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Beirut remains “far from” establishing such ties, which he said Lebanon continues to condition on the establishment of a Palestinian state; he added that Lebanon is open to having French and U.S. troops on the ground as part of efforts to verify Hezbollah’s disarmament (AP). An Israeli official suggested that the U.S. push for talks with Lebanon reflected Washington’s refusal to support a fresh offensive in southern Lebanon, despite recent reports hinting that the United States had given Beirut an ultimatum to fully disarm Hezbollah by year’s end (Al Monitor; Times of Israel).
Increased Israeli Warnings on Hezbollah Rearmament
Israeli military officials accused Lebanese authorities of failing to enforce disarmament commitments as Hezbollah restores its training networks and missile arsenal; Israeli officials planned to present intelligence on Hezbollah’s rearmament to U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus, who is visiting the region (Times of Israel). The Israeli military also separately revealed intelligence claiming that Hezbollah orchestrated the killings of Lebanese officials and journalists who were seeking to expose alleged connections between the group and the 2020 Beirut port explosion, which killed over two hundred people; Hezbollah rejected the claims (Jerusalem Post).
Pope Leo’s Visit to Beirut
Pope Leo XIV’s presence in Lebanon, part of his first foreign trip as pontiff, urged peace across the region, including in southern Lebanon and among different religious sects, with many Lebanese describing the visit as a rare moment of national solidarity (Reuters). Israel paused its strikes across the country during the visit, but reports suggest that it may launch a renewed armed offensive in Lebanon by the end of the month as it runs out of patience with Hezbollah’s rearmament (Jerusalem Post; Al Monitor).
Lebanese Army Flexes Gains
Lebanon’s military toured journalists around areas long dominated by Hezbollah, claiming it has shuttered nearly a dozen weapons smuggling routes and confiscated munitions across southern Lebanon; the buildup comes as Israeli strikes persist and Hezbollah rejects a U.S.-backed disarmament initiative, saying it will not lay down arms while Israeli forces remain in contested areas (AP). In a televised speech, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said the group reserves the option to retaliate after Israel killed its top military commander in Beirut, adding that renewed fighting remains a real prospect (Reuters).
UN Condemns Lebanon Ceasefire Breaches
The UN human rights office reported that at least 127 civilians have died in Israeli attacks in Lebanon over the past year, urging independent investigations into potential violations of international humanitarian law following incidents such as the strike on the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp last week (Guardian). Lebanon accuses Israel of breaching the ceasefire by continuing cross-border operations, while Israel accuses Hezbollah of rebuilding its militant presence in the south (Al Jazeera).
Israel Kills Top Hezbollah Military Leader in Beirut Strike
A Hezbollah official said the strike—which injured at least twenty-eight people—crossed a “new red line” (Times of Israel). Israel has been escalating its strikes on Hezbollah in recent weeks, accusing the group of failing to comply with a year-old ceasefire and the Lebanese government of failing to address truce violations (X). Lebanese President Joseph Aoun asked the international community to help stop Israel’s attacks (Reuters).
Israeli Airstrikes Across Lebanon
The strikes struck Hezbollah positions throughout southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley, targeting rocket launch sites, weapons depots, and personnel; the Israeli military said multiple operatives were killed while accusing the group of continuing to breach the terms of the November 2024 ceasefire (Times of Israel).
Israeli Airstrike in Southern Lebanon
The strike targeted a vehicle in the Bint Jbeil district, killing one, according to Lebanon’s state news agency (Anadolu Agency).
Lebanon Arrests Top Drug Trafficker
In Baalbek, the Lebanese Army arrested Noah Zeiter, who was on the run for years and had been targeted under U.S. sanctions for supporting Hezbollah and the former Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria in their cross-border Captagon drug trade (AP). Meanwhile, Israel carried out multiple strikes across several southern Lebanese villages after issuing evacuation warnings, saying it targeted Hezbollah weapons sites embedded in populated areas; Lebanon reported at least one death (Reuters). Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told Bloomberg that he has reiterated President Joseph Aoun’s proposals for talks with Israel but has received no response (Middle East Monitor).
Israeli Strike Kills Eleven in Sidon
The Israeli strike, which hit the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp, injured another four, per Lebanese health authorities; the Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas military compound, marking a rare attack on the group within Lebanese territory (Times of Israel). Two separate strikes in Bint Jbeil and Blida in southern Lebanon killed another two individuals (Anadolu Agency). Meanwhile, in Washington, the Trump Administration called off Lebanese army commander Rodolphe Haykal’s trip after the Lebanese military condemned recent Israeli attacks without referencing Hezbollah’s required disarmament, prompting U.S. lawmakers to criticize the army’s stance; Lebanese officials said the move reflects increased U.S. and Israeli pressure as disputes persist with Beirut over implementing the terms of the November 2024 ceasefire (The National).
Israeli Forces Mistakenly Fire on UN Peacekeepers
The UN mission in Lebanon said an Israeli Merkava tank inside Lebanese territory shot machine-gun rounds that landed meters from peacekeepers before withdrawing; Israel attributed the misidentification to poor weather, while the UN called it a serious breach of UN Resolution 1701 (Reuters). Separately, Israel conducted an overnight drone strike in Tyre; the Israeli military alleged it targeted a Hezbollah official, but Lebanese reports claimed the victim was a school principal (Times of Israel).
Lebanon Tightens Pressure on Hezbollah
Lebanon’s central bank announced new requirements for money exchange firms to report customer data for transactions above $1,000, as part of efforts to address U.S. concerns over Hezbollah financing; Hezbollah criticized the measures as foreign interference (AFP). Meanwhile, in southern Lebanon, UN authorities accused Israel of erecting a wall within Lebanese territory, in violation of an informal border demarcation, rendering the territory inaccessible for Lebanese residents (Al Jazeera). Lebanese authorities later said they would file a complaint with the UN against the wall’s construction (Times of Israel).
Israeli Strikes in Southern Lebanon
Two separate airstrikes targeted Hezbollah weapons caches (Times of Israel).
Israel Reiterates Accusations of Hezbollah Ceasefire Violations
Hezbollah is rebuilding strength south of the Litani River and smuggling arms from Syria, said the Israeli military, adding that Israeli forces will continue to target these efforts; in a speech on Tuesday, Hezbollah’s chief Naim Qassem reiterated commitment to the 2024 ceasefire but rejected complete disarmament, promising that northern Israeli towns would face no threats if Israeli strikes in Lebanon ended (Reuters).
Israel Urges Lebanon to Accelerate Hezbollah Disarmament
Israeli officials pressed Lebanon’s army to carry out house-to-house searches in southern Lebanon to enforce Hezbollah’s disarmament, a demand Beirut rejected over fears it could spark civil unrest; Lebanon instead insists its current disarmament sweeps are sufficient under the truce deal (Reuters). Israel continued its airstrikes across the country, killing three Hezbollah fighters and destroying weapons facilities; the strikes bring the total number of Hezbollah casualties this month to fifteen (Jerusalem Post).
Continued Israeli Strikes in Lebanon
Two people were killed as Israeli strikes hit the Nabatiyeh Governorate; separate strikes also hit Tyre, though no injuries were immediately reported (Anadolu Agency). Separately, U.S. Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John Hurley said a unique “moment” exists in Lebanon to sever Iranian funding to Hezbollah and push the group to disarm; Hurley estimated Tehran has funneled about $1 billion to Hezbollah this year despite sanctions (Reuters).
Israeli Strikes in Southern Lebanon
The strikes included multiple air and drone attacks, killing three people and injuring several others, in what Beirut reiterated was a “flagrant breach” of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement; the European Union likewise condemned the attacks (Al Jazeera).
Israel Expands Airstrikes in Southern Lebanon
The Israeli military struck several locations in southern Lebanon after issuing five evacuation orders for civilian departures, as concerns of a full-blown Israeli aerial campaign mount across the country; Lebanon condemned the attacks while UN peacekeepers warned the strikes violate Security Council resolution 1701 (Reuters). Hezbollah claimed that it had a “legitimate right” to respond but would continue abiding by the ceasefire, while still rejecting political talks with Israel (AP). Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Hezbollah operatives accused of transferring millions of dollars from Iran to help rebuild the group’s military arsenal (Treasury).
Israel Carries Out Multiple Strikes in Southern Lebanon
Israel said it was targeting Hezbollah (FT). Despite the ceasefire between the two countries reached last November, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned earlier this week that Israel would increase strikes on Lebanon if its government did not ramp up efforts to disarm Hezbollah (Reuters).
Israeli Strikes Kill Two Hezbollah Fighters
The fighters were killed in two separate strikes that targeted Nabatieh and Ayta ash-Shab (Times of Israel). Meanwhile, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reiterated his belief that Beirut has no alternative but to pursue indirect talks with Israel, even as Israel remains an adversary (Arab News).
Lebanon-Syria Talks in Bahrain
Syria’s foreign ministry said it sought to improve both political and security ties; the countries have a history of strained relations, as Syria occupied Lebanon from 1976 to 2005 and Hezbollah fighters participated in Syria’s civil war (The National). With relatively new governments in place in both countries, their leaders have pledged to improve bilateral relations (AP). Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel will act if Lebanon fails to enforce its ceasefire obligation to disarm Hezbollah, reiterating earlier warnings from Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz; Hezbollah has accepted the truce but insists that the disarmament requirement applies only to southern Lebanon (Reuters). Israeli strikes on Lebanon continued, with a missile strike in Nabatieh province killing four and injuring three others (Al Jazeera).
More U.S. Frustration With Hezbollah Disarmament Slowdown
U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack criticized Lebanon’s failure to disarm Hezbollah or provide basic state services, contrasting those failures with Hezbollah’s continued subsumption of state institutions; Barrack contrasted Lebanon’s regression with progress in Syria, where leaders would soon join the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State and hold further talks with Israel (AP). Barrack added that wealthy Gulf countries are prepared to channel billions into development projects in southern Lebanon if Hezbollah gives up its arsenal and loosens ties to Iran (FT). Meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike targeted the Kfar Sir village, wounding a man (Anadolu Agency).
Lebanese Government Calls for Talks With Israel
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called for negotiations to stop near-daily Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon, as Israeli military activity accelerates; after meeting with Aoun, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul likewise expressed concern about Israeli attacks (AP).
Israeli Ground Raid in Southern Lebanon
Israeli troops entered a municipal building in Blida overnight and fatally shot a local employee, prompting resident protests and condemnations from the Lebanese government, as UN peacekeepers warned the incursion violated Resolution 1701 (AP). In response to the incident, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told the Lebanese military to respond to any new Israeli cross-border operations, prompting praise from Hezbollah; the directive demonstrates increasing Lebanese state frustration with Israeli military strikes in Lebanon, which have accelerated over the past week alongside surveillance drone flights over Beirut (Al Jazeera). In a separate incident, airstrikes in at least three southern Lebanese towns also injured three (Anadolu Agency).
Intelligence Confirms Hezbollah Rearmament Surge
Israeli and Arab intelligence indicate Hezbollah is reestablishing its arsenal with rockets, antitank weapons, and artillery through smuggling and local production, undermining the November 2024 ceasefire, as Lebanese authorities struggle to advance disarmament beyond southern areas (WSJ). Israel is growing increasingly frustrated at Hezbollah’s rearmament and may expand its military campaign to address the threat (Times of Israel). Israeli cabinet officials convened a meeting on Thursday night to discuss the issue (Jerusalem Post).
Israel Kills Hezbollah Member
Israel accused the member of facilitating weapons transfers and rebuilding Hezbollah’s military network in the south (Middle East Monitor).
Hurdles in Hezbollah Disarmament Effort
Lebanon’s army continues its efforts to meet a year-end deadline to disarm Hezbollah in the south under a ceasefire with Israel, but it is now facing an explosives shortage; the United States is gradually supplying demolition aid, although the army has had to seal rather than destroy weapons sites as it awaits the aid’s arrival (Reuters). Per local reports, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has accelerated his warnings to Beirut to complete the disarmament process and begin direct talks with Israel, threatening a “major Israeli strike” if these conditions are not met; Washington reportedly doubts Lebanon’s ability to enforce disarmament as Hezbollah rebuilds its capabilities (i24News). U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus discussed these challenges with Lebanese leadership in Beirut (Jerusalem Post).
More Israeli Strikes Across Lebanon
Israeli attacks in southern and eastern Lebanon killed three, with the military claiming it targeted Hezbollah operatives; meanwhile, UN peacekeepers reported a drone-dropped grenade and tank fire against their patrol, as UN officials continue expressing concern about Israeli strikes in the country (Al Jazeera).
Israel Targets Hezbollah Commander
Israeli forces carried out strikes on a car in Haruf and a motorcycle in nearby Qlaileh, killing two and wounding one; the Israeli military claimed it had targeted a Hezbollah anti-tank commander, after killing a logistics commander a day earlier (Arab News). Moreover, the Israeli military announced it launched drone strikes hitting Tyre, killing two brothers who it said were part of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit (Times of Israel).
Israeli Drone Strike in Southern Lebanon
The strike hit the Nabatiyeh area, killing two people and wounding two others amid continuing near-daily Israeli attacks, as the Israeli army claimed it was targeting a Hezbollah logistics commander and weapons sites; Lebanon’s state news agency also reported a separate Israeli strike in Marjayoun, although no injuries occurred (Al Jazeera).
Hezbollah Rearmament Accelerating
The Israeli military announced that it caught several smugglers attempting to transfer firearms into Lebanon near Mount Hermon on the Syria-Lebanon border; Israel said the operation was the second such interception in recent days, as reports indicate Hezbollah’s rearmament push is outpacing efforts from the Lebanese military to seize the group’s weapons arsenal (Times of Israel). Western officials have privately suggested that Israel may accelerate its military actions if Lebanon fails to achieve more effective results (Jerusalem Post). On Thursday, Israeli airstrikes killed two in southern Lebanon and two in eastern Lebanon, while media groups reported increased drone sightings over Beirut (Middle East Monitor; Al Jazeera). Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with U.S. General Joseph Clearfield, who is leading the committee tasked with monitoring the ceasefire with Israel, and reaffirmed the Lebanese government’s commitment to achieving a state monopoly over weapons (Anadolu Agency).
U.S. Envoy Warns Against Election Postponement
U.S. Special Envoy Tom Barrack cautioned that postponing Lebanon’s parliamentary elections could cause widespread unrest and deepen sectarian divides; Barrack warned that Hezbollah might seek election delays to rebuild its military arsenal and preserve political influence amid stalled Israeli withdrawals (Anadolu Agency). Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes continued in southern Lebanon, with reports suggesting the Israeli military targeted the village of Jarmaq (Times of Israel).
Court Conditionally Frees Hannibal Gadhafi
A Lebanese judge allowed Hannibal Gadhafi, the son of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gadhafi, to be released from the Lebanese prison system, where he has been held in retribution for the kidnapping of a Lebanese cleric in 1978, provided he pays a $11 million fee (AP). Gadhafi’s lawyer suggested he is unable to pay the fee (New Arab).
Israeli Airstrikes in Southern Lebanon
Israeli warplanes carried out five airstrikes across southern Lebanon, including near Sidon and Nabatieh, in what Lebanese officials describe as another breach of the November 2024 ceasefire (Anadolu Agency). A day earlier, Israeli airstrikes in the Bint Jbeil district injured multiple people (Naharnet). Meanwhile, in Naqoura, military officials from the United States, France, the United Nations, and Lebanon met to coordinate ongoing operations to disarm Hezbollah (CENTCOM).
Lebanese President Proposes Dialogue With Israel
President Joseph Aoun said Lebanon and Israel should resume talks to resolve remaining disputes, arguing that war failed to yield positive results; Aoun’s comments cited the success of past discussions that led to the 2022 maritime border deal (AP).
Israeli Airstrikes in Southern Lebanon
Israeli airstrikes hit the Lebanese village of Msayleh, killing one person and injuring seven while destroying dozens of vehicles and briefly cutting off a key road linking Beirut and the south; President Joseph Aoun condemned the strikes as “blatant aggression” against civilians, while Israel claimed it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure (Al Jazeera).
Tangible Achievements in Hezbollah Disarmament Push
Lebanese reports indicate that the Lebanese Armed Forces have been quietly advancing efforts to disarm Hezbollah north of the Litani River, aiming to expand the initiative nationwide while balancing security objectives with political sensitivities to prevent internal conflict (Naharnet).
Israeli Military Kills Senior Hezbollah Air Defense Figure
The Israel Defense Forces conducted a drone strike near Nabatieh that killed Hassan Atwi, a senior Hezbollah figure reportedly involved in rebuilding the group’s air defense network and coordinating equipment transfers with Iran (Times of Israel).
Hezbollah Disarmament Proceeds
Army commander General Rudolph Haikal presented Lebanon’s first detailed plan to the government to disarm Hezbollah, which kept the proposal confidential; meanwhile, Israel launched airstrikes that killed a Hezbollah member in southern Lebanon and hit training sites in the northeast (AP).
Trump Administration Backs Lebanese Security Forces
The total package amounts to $230 million, comprising $190 million for the Lebanese army and $40 million for the Internal Security Force, and aims to help weaken and eventually disarm Hezbollah; the move comes despite wider U.S. foreign aid cuts (Middle East Monitor).
UN Rights Chief Urges End to Border Hostilities
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk condemned Israel’s continued air and drone strikes, suggesting that they have killed at least 103 civilians in Lebanon over the past ten months; he urged a more robust implementation of the November 2024 ceasefire and recommended independent investigations into the civilian deaths (OHCHR).
Israeli Strikes Kill Two in Lebanon
Lebanon’s health ministry reported that Israel struck targets in the eastern Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon, killing two and wounding a third; the operation comes as Israel targets Hezbollah operatives and sites, violating the postwar truce (AFP).
Iranian Officials Visit Beirut
Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, visited Beirut to mark the first anniversary of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s killing and urged Middle Eastern states to set aside differences to unite against Israel; Larijani praised Hezbollah deputy Naim Kassem’s call for Saudi-Iranian rapprochement and warned Israel of “strong retaliation” if it strikes Iran again, while Kassem reaffirmed Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm (AP). Meanwhile, Israeli drones flew over Beirut’s southern suburbs as thousands of Hezbollah supporters gathered to commemorate Nasrallah (Times of Israel).
Israel Hits Site in Lebanon
Israeli jets struck a facility near Saraain in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley that the IDF said was producing precision missiles, violating the November 2024 ceasefire agreement; Lebanon’s state news agency confirmed the attack (AP).
Hezbollah Defies Government Ban With Beirut Light Show
Thousands of Hezbollah supporters projected images of slain leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine onto Beirut’s iconic Raouche rock, defying Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s order banning partisan use of national landmarks; Salam said the event violated permit terms and urged arrests (AP).
Israeli Drone Crashes Into UN Headquarters in Lebanon
An Israeli drone crashed into the headquarters of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in Naqoura, southern Lebanon, but caused no casualties; UNIFIL neutralized the drone and claimed Israel’s flights violate UN Resolution 1701, which ended a previous Israel-Hezbollah war, while Israel said the crash was due to a technical failure and is in contact with UNIFIL to discuss the matter (AP).
Israeli Drone Strike in Southern Lebanon Kills Five
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said an Israeli drone strike killed five people, including three children, in southern Lebanon; Israel said it was targeting a Hezbollah militant but acknowledged civilian casualties, while Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the attack as a threat to the ceasefire agreement (AP).
Israeli Strike Hits Car Outside Lebanese Hospital
Lebanon’s health ministry said an Israeli strike on a vehicle outside a hospital killed one person and injured three in Tebnine, southern Lebanon; Israel has not yet commented (Times of Israel).
Israel Strikes Hezbollah Targets in Southern Lebanon
The IDF said it struck multiple Hezbollah arms depots in southern Lebanon and issued evacuation orders for several villages, including Dibbine, Kaft Tibnit, and Mays al-Jabal, emphasizing that Hezbollah is attempting to rebuild its weapons arsenal in violation of the November 2024 ceasefire (Jerusalem Post).