BEIRUT: Israel intensified its aerial assault on Lebanon’s eastern regions on Thursday, striking what it claimed were Hezbollah military targets amid growing fears that cross-border hostilities could spiral into another full-scale war.
The Israeli army said its warplanes targeted “a camp and a precision missile production site belonging to Hezbollah” in the Jurd Baalbek-Hermel region — a rugged, mountainous area near the Syrian border long believed to be the site of Hezbollah infrastructure.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry confirmed that two people were killed and several others wounded in the wave of strikes, which hit the outskirts of the towns of Taraya, Shmustar, Bednayel, and Nabi Sheet, as well as rural areas in Janta, Al-Gharbieh, and Sherbin.
The attacks caused panic at secondary schools in Shmustar and Taraya, where shattered glass injured students and teachers. Several pupils reportedly fainted amid the chaos.
The latest escalation comes as Israel continues to strike deeper into Lebanese territory, while tensions mount over Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm — a longstanding demand by domestic and international actors seeking to bolster state sovereignty.
Despite Lebanon’s efforts to enforce disarmament measures and assert control over southern regions, Hezbollah maintains a parallel military presence, defying UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
In a statement, Minister of Education and Higher Education Rima Karami appealed to “the major and influential countries of the world to exert pressure to halt the ongoing aggression that targets schools and civilians.”
Israeli media reported that five fighter jets carried out strikes on 16 targets in eastern Lebanon, while army spokesman Avichay Adraee said the air force raided “several Hezbollah targets in the Bekaa region, including a camp used to train Hezbollah members, where members of the party were seen inside.”
Adraee claimed that “Hezbollah used the camp to train and prepare its members to plan and oversee the execution of operations against Israel.”
He said that “the Israeli army targeted military infrastructure within a Hezbollah precision missile production site, as well as infrastructure located at a military site belonging to the party in Sherbin.”
Adraee added that “the storage of weapons and the presence of this infrastructure, along with Hezbollah members conducting military training, constitute a blatant violation of agreements between Israel and Lebanon and a threat to Israel that must be eliminated.”
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described the Israeli attacks as “unjustified and unacceptable.”
During a meeting at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday, former President Michel Aoun urged the newly appointed head of the Cessation of Hostilities Oversight Committee, US Gen. Joseph Clearfield, to intensify efforts to halt repeated Israeli attacks on Lebanon and ensure compliance with the Nov. 2024 ceasefire agreement.
Aoun affirmed that “Lebanon, which has abided by the cessation of hostilities agreement since its inception, pins great hopes on the committee’s efforts to help restore stability in southern Lebanon and to put an end to unjustified and unacceptable Israeli attacks, particularly that they target civilians, as well as commercial and industrial facilities.”
Aoun stressed that the Lebanese army was fulfilling its responsibilities south of the Litani River and continues to expand its deployment daily.
He urged pressure on Israel to withdraw from the territories it occupies, thereby enabling the army to complete its deployment up to the southern international border.
The Lebanese president highlighted the army’s efforts to date, noting its success in clearing areas of militant presence, dismantling armed groups, uncovering tunnels, and seizing a range of weapons and ammunition, despite the difficult terrain in the south.
Aoun affirmed that Lebanon is committed to implementing all security measures adopted by the Army Command and will continue to deploy its efforts in this regard.
“No one, especially the people of the south or the Lebanese in general, wants to return to a state of war.”
According to the presidency’s media office, Gen. Clearfield told Aoun that the committee’s meetings will become regular with aims to consolidate the cessation of hostilities in the south. He shared a series of steps being prepared to achieve this goal.
Clearfield also presented to Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri the five-member committee’s upcoming agenda, along with its operational actions.
Berri’s media office reported that Clearfield “expressed hope for tangible progress regarding the ceasefire implementation and Israel’s withdrawal from the Lebanese territories it still occupies.”
Berri, for his part, raised with Clearfield the issue of Israel’s “ongoing daily attacks targeting civilians and economic, industrial, and agricultural infrastructure in southern Lebanon and across the country, as well as large Lebanese border areas, which constitute a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement and hinders the implementation of Resolution 1701.”
During his meeting with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Clearfield affirmed the ongoing coordination with the Lebanese side.
Salam reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to completing the disarmament process south of the Litani River before the end of the year, as outlined in the Lebanese army’s plan.
He also urged Israel to fulfill its obligations by withdrawing from the occupied Lebanese territories and halting its ongoing aggression.
Israeli drones continue to invade Lebanese airspace around the clock at low altitudes, particularly in the south and Beirut and its southern suburbs.
Drones have been observed over the past two days flying over the Presidential Palace in Baabda and the Grand Serail in central Beirut.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army has carried out military maneuvers along the Lebanese border simulating a ground war in Lebanese territory.
