Israel’s military has carried out a series of air strikes in eastern and southern Lebanon, saying it targeted positions linked to Hezbollah and Hamas, after issuing evacuation warnings to residents in several villages.
An Israeli army spokesperson said on Monday that the military was preparing to strike what it described as Hezbollah and Hamas “military infrastructure” in the villages of Hammara and Ain el-Tineh in the Bekaa Valley, as well as Kfar Hatta and Annan in southern Lebanon.
Witnesses and an AFP news agency photographer in Kfar Hatta reported that dozens of families fled the village following the Israeli warning, amid increased drone activity in the area. Emergency services, including ambulances and fire trucks, were placed on standby.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said a drone strike earlier on Monday hit a car in the southern village of Braikeh, wounding two people. The Israeli military said the attack targeted two Hezbollah members.
The strikes came a day after an Israeli attack on a vehicle in the Ayn al-Mizrab area, north of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon, which killed two people. Israel said that strike, carried out about 10km (six miles) from the border, also targeted a Hezbollah operative.
Israel has continued to conduct attacks in Lebanon despite a ceasefire brokered by the United States in late 2024, which ended more than a year of intense cross-border fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah.
Lebanese officials and the United Nations say Israel has repeatedly violated the truce through air strikes and bombardment, while maintaining a military presence in five areas of southern Lebanon.
The renewed attacks come amid growing pressure on Lebanon from Israel and the United States to disarm Hezbollah. Under the ceasefire framework, Lebanon’s army was expected to complete the disarmament of armed groups south of the Litani River — about 30km (19 miles) from the Israeli border — by the end of 2025.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Sunday that the disarmament process was “far from sufficient”.
Ali Rizk, a Beirut-based security affairs analyst, told Al Jazeera that the escalation follows last week’s meeting between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“There had been reports that Israel received a green light to escalate against Hezbollah,” Rizk said.
He added that Israel’s reference to Hamas as a target increased pressure on Lebanon to act not only against Hezbollah but also against other armed groups opposed to Israel that may have a presence on Lebanese territory.
Lebanon’s government is expected to meet on Tuesday to review the army’s progress on disarmament, as Hezbollah remains a powerful force despite significant losses during the conflict, including the killing of its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah in September 2024.
A ceasefire monitoring committee comprising representatives from Lebanon, Israel, France, the United States and the United Nations is also scheduled to convene in the coming days.
The United Nations has strongly criticised Israel’s continued strikes, reporting in November that at least 127 civilians, including children, have been killed in Lebanon since the ceasefire took effect. UN officials have warned that the attacks may constitute war crimes.
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