BEIRUT, Lebanon: Israeli raids hit south Lebanon on Thursday as its military said it was striking Hezbollah weapons storage facilities, a day after Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives held their first direct talks in decades.
Despite a November 2024 ceasefire that was supposed to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group, Israel has kept up strikes on Lebanon and has also maintained troops in five south Lebanon areas it deems strategic.
The visit from Sunday to Tuesday of Pope Leo XIV had provided Lebanon with a window of reprieve from Israeli air strikes, which had intensified in recent weeks, and the pontiff urged an end to hostilities during his visit. But on Thursday, the Israeli army said it “began conducting strikes on Hezbollah terror targets in southern Lebanon”, after warning it would strike buildings in south Lebanon´s Mahrouna and Jbaa.
It subsequently issued warnings that it would strike further Hezbollah “military infrastructure” in Majadal and Baraasheet, also in the south.
Lebanon´s official National News Agency said “Israeli warplanes launched a strike on the town of Mahrouna” while other raids targeted buildings in Jbaa, Majadal and Baraasheet.
An AFP photographer saw smoke rising from the site of the strike in the town of Jbaa.
“It´s a completely civilian area. We´re used to Israeli threats from time to time,” local official Yassir Madi told journalists, including AFP.
“As for the damage, there´s not a window within 300 metres that didn´t break. Everyone is living in shock,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it struck “weapons storage facilities belonging to Hezbollah” located in the “heart of the civilian population”.
“This is yet another example of Hezbollah´s cynical use of Lebanese civilians as human shields, and continued operations from within civilian areas,” it said.
Lebanon´s government has committed to disarming Hezbollah but the group has rejected the idea and many in the country fear a return to expanded Israeli military operations.
