Israel Intensifies Airstrikes in South Lebanon as Tensions With Hezbollah Rise

Israel escalated its airstrikes across southern Lebanon on Wednesday, targeting what it described as Hezbollah military infrastructure and killing at least one person, according to Lebanese officials. The Israeli military said the wave of strikes aims to prevent Iran-backed Hezbollah from rebuilding its military capabilities near the border, despite a U.S.-backed ceasefire in place since last year.

Israel has accused Hezbollah of rearming in violation of the truce, while Hezbollah insists it has complied with the agreement, which requires the group to withdraw fighters from the border zone and allow Lebanese forces to deploy. Residents fled several villages—Deir Kifa, Chehour, Aainata and Tayr Filsay—after Israel posted warnings on social media naming buildings it intended to strike. Plumes of smoke rose over the areas as Israeli jets hit what they said were weapons storage sites embedded within civilian neighborhoods.

The Israeli army also claimed Hezbollah is rebuilding headquarters and stockpiling weapons in Beit Lif. A Hezbollah official rejected the allegations as fabricated justifications for continued Israeli attacks. Earlier the same day, an Israeli strike in the village of Al-Tiri killed one person. Israel said the victim was a Hezbollah operative working to reestablish the group’s readiness in the region.

The escalation followed one of Israel’s deadliest strikes in Lebanon since last year’s conflict. On Tuesday, Israeli forces bombed a compound inside the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon, killing 13 people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Israel said the site was being used by Hamas to plan attacks, a claim Hamas dismissed as false, saying it has no military operations inside refugee camps. A Hamas official confirmed no group members were among the dead.

The latest violence threatens the fragile truce negotiated by the U.S. and France, which calls for Lebanese forces to seize unauthorized weapons south of the Litani River. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has reiterated the agreement applies only to that specific zone. Lebanese authorities have accused Israel of breaching the deal by maintaining military positions inside southern Lebanon.