Israeli airstrikes hit towns in south Lebanon on Wednesday as the Israeli military said it was targeting Hezbollah weapons storage facilities, a day after Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives met for direct talks under a U.N. ceasefire mechanism.
The strikes struck Mahrouna, Jbaa, Majadal and Baraasheet, Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported, and an AFP photographer saw smoke rising above Jbaa. The Israeli army said it “began conducting strikes on Hezbollah terror targets in southern Lebanon” after warning it would hit buildings in Mahrouna and Jbaa.
- Advertisement -
A local official in Jbaa told journalists the area was “completely civilian” and that windows had been shattered across a wide radius. “Everyone is living in shock,” he said, describing broken glass within 300 metres of the impact.
Israel said the targets included “weapons storage facilities belonging to Hezbollah” in the “heart of the civilian population,” accusing the Iran-backed group of operating amid civilians. The Israeli military framed the strikes as enforcement of the November ceasefire, saying they responded to continued Hezbollah operations from within civilian areas.
Despite the truce that was meant to end more than a year of fighting, Israel has continued to conduct strikes in Lebanon and to maintain forces in five areas of south Lebanon it regards as strategic. The recent visit of Pope Leo XIV gave Lebanese communities a temporary reprieve from intensified air activity, and the pontiff urged an end to hostilities during his trip.
Lebanon’s government has publicly committed to disarming Hezbollah, a long-standing demand of the United States and other Western governments, but the group has rejected disarmament and many in Lebanon fear the strikes may presage wider Israeli operations.
Direct civilian-level talks took place Tuesday at the U.N. peacekeeping force headquarters in Naqura, near the Israeli-Lebanese border. The ceasefire monitoring committee — the United States, France, Lebanon, Israel and the U.N. force — regularly convenes there to monitor the truce.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam cautioned the new diplomatic contact did not amount to broader peace negotiations. “We are not yet at peace talks,” he told reporters, saying the discussions were limited to implementing last year’s truce, seeking the “cessation of hostilities,” the “release of Lebanese hostages” and “the complete Israeli withdrawal” from Lebanese territory.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the atmosphere at the Naqura meeting was “positive” and that participants agreed “to develop ideas to promote potential economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon.” The office added it was “essential” that Hezbollah disarm regardless of any progress on economic measures.
France’s foreign ministry said it welcomed the talks as a framework to promote de-escalation, and the U.S. embassy in Beirut said U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus attended. Ortagus had been in Jerusalem the previous day and met with Mr. Netanyahu and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
Separately, Israeli media reported the killing of Yasser Abu Shabab, a Bedouin tribal leader in Rafah who led a small anti-Hamas faction in Gaza. His death would be a setback for Israeli efforts to bolster anti-Hamas clan forces in the territory, which Mr. Netanyahu acknowledged in June Israel had armed, though few details of that policy have been disclosed.
Authorities in Gaza and sources connected to Abu Shabab’s Popular Forces group had not immediately confirmed the reports on social media at the time of publication.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
