Israel launches heavy airstrikes on Hezbollah in southern Lebanon

The Israeli military struck several towns in southern Lebanon on Thursday, hours after militant group Hezbollah urged the Lebanese government not to enter negotiations with Israel over the group's disarmament.

According to Israeli army Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee, residents of several towns on the Mediterranean coast and near the Lebanon-Israel border were given advance warning to keep a distance from residential buildings Israel was targeting, adding that they were used by Hezbollah.

The Israeli military said "it targeted military infrastructure for Hezbollah in those areas, including weapons storage facilities ... constructed in the centre of civilian-populated areas.”

It accused the group of rebuilding its capabilities almost a year after a US-brokered ceasefire went into effect that ended some two months of intensive fighting.

While most residents evacuated the areas ahead of the strikes, Lebanon’s health ministry reported one person wounded.

“We will not allow Hezbollah to rearm themselves, to recover, build back up its strength to threaten the state of Israel,” Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said at a briefing Thursday.

Strikes come amid Lebanese plan to disarm Hezbollah

Meanwhile, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and his government met in Beirut to follow up on a plan drafted by the Lebanese military to disarm Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups in the country.

Following the meeting, Information Minister Paul Morcos said that the cabinet “commended the progress (the army) has made... despite continued obstacles, foremost among which is the continuation of Israeli hostilities."

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun criticised the strikes, saying that “every time Lebanon expresses its openness to peaceful negotiations... Israel intensifies its aggression.”

“Nearly a year has passed since the ceasefire came into effect, and during that time, Israel has spared no effort to demonstrate its rejection of any negotiated settlement between the two countries,” he said.

“Your message has been received.”

Israel says its near-daily strikes have targeted Hezbollah officials and military infrastructure. In contrast, the Lebanese government, which has backed disarming Hezbollah, say the strikes have targeted civilians and infrastructure unrelated to the Iran-backed group.

Hezbollah has refused to disarm, and its secretary-general, Sheikh Naim Qassem, has stated that the group will be prepared to fight regardless of how reduced its capabilities may be.

But analysts say Israel's fierce air campaign over southern Lebanon, which began in September 2024, already significantly weakened the group's military capabilities.

Both sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, which nominally ended the Israel-Hezbollah war last November.

The conflict started when Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel in support of Hamas and the Palestinians, prompting Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling.

According to Lebanon’s health ministry, more than 270 people have been killed and around 850 wounded by Israeli military actions since the ceasefire took effect.