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Israeli warplanes launched five airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday, violating a ceasefire agreement that has been in place since November 2024.
Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that two strikes hit the town of Bnaafoul in Sidon, with another targeting Khirbet Dweir, between Sarafand and Baysariyeh.
Fighter jets also bombed an area between Roumine and Houmine in the Nabatieh district, while an Israeli drone attack struck Blida in Marjayoun as residents were harvesting olives. No injuries were reported.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned Israel’s continued aggression, accusing it of attempting to “sustain political gain through fire and bloodshed.”
He also announced plans to increase the number of Lebanese troops south of the Litani River to 10,000 by year’s end, ensuring border security following Israel’s partial withdrawal.
Speaking in Beirut alongside UNIFIL Commander Diodato Abagnara, Aoun confirmed that the Lebanese army would “work with UNIFIL to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 in all its provisions.”
Resolution 1701, passed in 2006, mandates a weapons-free zone between the Blue Line and the Litani River, allowing only Lebanese and UN forces.
Under the truce signed in November 2024, Israel was required to withdraw from southern Lebanon by January 2025, but it continues to maintain a presence at five border outposts.
The cross-border violence between Hezbollah and Israel, which began in October 2023, escalated into a full-scale Israeli offensive by September 2024, resulting in more than 4,000 deaths and around 17,000 injuries.
Despite the ceasefire, the latest strikes have raised fears of renewed escalation. Lebanon says it remains in contact with international partners to coordinate security and maintain stability in the south as UN forces prepare a gradual withdrawal through 2027.
