The Israeli military carried out a new wave of strikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Thursday, marking exactly one year since the two sides agreed to a ceasefire.
According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, Israeli aircraft launched “a series of raids on Al-Mahmoudiya and Al-Jarmak,” located just north of the Litani River.
The November 27, 2024 ceasefire was intended to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. However, Israel has continued to conduct strikes in Lebanon, frequently claiming the operations are aimed at preventing Hezbollah from rearming by targeting its personnel and military infrastructure.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam described the situation as “a one-sided war of attrition that is escalating.”
In a statement following Thursday’s attacks, the Israeli military said its forces had “struck and dismantled Hezbollah terror infrastructure”, targeting launch sites believed to store weapons, military posts used by the Iran-backed group, and a weapons storage facility.
“The military will continue to operate to remove any threat to the State of Israel,” the statement added.
Israel said that since the ceasefire took effect, it has sought to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding by eliminating infrastructure, disrupting intelligence operations and degrading military capabilities. It claimed to have conducted around 1,200 “targeted activities” and eliminated more than 370 fighters from Hezbollah, Hamas and other Palestinian factions during the truce period.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah is required to move its forces to positions north of the Litani River, approximately 30km from the Israeli border, and dismantle military infrastructure in that area.
A government-backed plan stipulates that the Lebanese army must remove Hezbollah facilities south of the river by year-end, before expanding efforts nationwide. The United States has been applying pressure on Beirut to fully disarm the militia.
While the Lebanese Armed Forces say they are moving ahead with the disarmament plan, both Washington and Tel Aviv have accused Lebanon of delaying implementation.
President Joseph Aoun rejected these allegations, stating that the army is “preventing armed displays, confiscating ammunition, and inspecting tunnels.”
On Thursday, Aoun met with Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN special coordinator for Lebanon, who noted that a year after the ceasefire, “uncertainty remains.”
“For many Lebanese, the conflict is still ongoing — albeit at reduced intensity,” she said. “As long as the current status quo persists, the risk of renewed hostilities will continue to loom.”
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) reported Thursday that it continues to uncover “illegal weapons” in southern Lebanon. It has also recorded more than 10,000 air and ground violations of the ceasefire in the past year.
Earlier this week, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that there would be “no calm” in Lebanon unless Israel’s security was guaranteed.
On Sunday, an Israeli strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs killed Haitham Ali Tabatabai, the most senior Hezbollah commander eliminated since the ceasefire began.
Lebanese Prime Minister Salam challenged Hezbollah’s claim that its arsenal deters aggression.
“These weapons did not protect either Hezbollah’s leaders or the Lebanese people,” he said.
“Are they capable of repelling ongoing Israeli attacks? They have brought neither deterrence nor protection, nor victory to Gaza.”
