Israel Conducts New Airstrikes in Lebanon Targeting Hezbollah Positions

Post by : Mina Rahman

Israel’s air force resumed its operations with strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon early Tuesday, including significant action in Sidon, the third-largest city in the country.

Around 1 a.m. Tuesday, a commercial building with three floors was completely destroyed in Sidon’s southern coastal area. The structure, located in a busy commercial district filled with workshops and mechanical shops, was unoccupied at the time. At least one individual required hospital treatment, and rescue crews combed through the debris for others. Immediate reports indicated no fatalities.

Earlier on Monday, multiple locations across southern and eastern Lebanon came under Israeli fire, attributed to their use by militant groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. This escalation followed warnings from the Israeli military spokesperson in Arabic regarding forthcoming actions against villages in the eastern Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon. The strike in Sidon was not previously announced, and as of now, the Israeli military has not provided further insights.

In the Bekaa Valley, a residential building in the village of Manara was targeted. This home belonged to Sharhabil al-Sayed, a Hamas commander who had met his end in an Israeli drone strike in May 2024. Thanks to prior warnings, the affected regions had been emptied, with no reported casualties. Additionally, a drone attack earlier on Monday in the southern village of Braikeh injured two individuals; Israeli forces confirmed the strike was aimed at Hezbollah militants.

Last year, the Lebanese army intensified efforts to disarm Palestinian groups, with plans to remove Hezbollah’s presence from the southern Litani region by the end of 2025. The Lebanese government is set to deliberate on Hezbollah's disarmament this Thursday along with army commander Gen. Rudolph Haikal.

The strikes on Monday involved villages situated north of the Litani River, significantly distanced from the Israeli border. These disarmament initiatives follow a prolonged conflict lasting 14 months between Israel and Hezbollah, ignited on October 8, 2023, when Hamas launched an offensive into southern Israel. Hezbollah retaliated by shelling Israeli territories, leading to a series of Israeli countermeasures, including a ground offensive in September 2024, culminating in a ceasefire brokered by the U.S. in November 2024.

Despite the ceasefire, Israel has conducted nearly daily airstrikes, predominantly aimed at Hezbollah operatives, resulting in the deaths of at least 127 civilians, as reported by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.