JNS
The Air Force attacked after the IDF warned residents of two towns to keep clear of terrorist infrastructure.
The Israeli Air Force on Thursday afternoon conducted a round of airstrikes on Hezbollah terrorist targets in Southern Lebanon.
The operation targeted several weapons storage facilities "located in the heart of civilian populations, the military said. "This is another example of Hezbollah’s cynical use of Lebanese civilians as human shields and its operations from within civilian assets."
The presence of the Hezbollah sites violated the Nov. 26, 2024, ceasefire understandings between Jerusalem and Beirut, the army stated. "The IDF will continue to act to remove any threat to the State of Israel."
Before the aerial strikes, steps were taken to reduce the chance of harm to noncombatants, including "warning the population, use of precision munitions, aerial observations and additional intelligence information."
The attacks occurred about an hour after the IDF warned residents of two Lebanese towns to stay clear of Hezbollah infrastructure.
"In the near future, the IDF will strike military infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah terror organization across Southern Lebanon, in order to address Hezbollah’s prohibited attempts to rebuild," said Col. Avichay Adraee, head of the Arab Media Branch in the IDF Spokesperson's Unit.
Adraee urged residents of Jbaa and Mahrouna to stay away from two buildings near Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure.
"You are located near buildings used by Hezbollah, and for your own safety, you must evacuate them immediately and move at least 300 meters [330 yards] away," the spokesman tweeted in Arabic.
"Remaining in the area of the marked buildings puts you in danger," he added.
As the airstrikes got underway, Adraee also warned residents of the Southern Lebanon towns of Al-Majadel and Baraashit to evacuate.
The military spokesperson shared a video clip showing a secondary explosion that followed an Israeli airstrike in a residential area. "This is how the terrorist Hezbollah operates in your towns: It stores its reckless rockets in your homes and puts you in danger," Adraee tweeted.
On Tuesday, the IDF warned that Hezbollah is rapidly rebuilding its capabilities, despite ongoing strikes since a truce took hold last year.
The ceasefire went into effect on Nov. 27, 2024, following an intense two-month IDF military campaign that led to the weakening of the Iranian proxy’s leadership. The deal was cemented by the Israeli and Lebanese governments and five mediating countries, including the United States.
The Trump administration has set Dec. 31, 2025, as the deadline for the Lebanese government to disarm the terror group, Israel Hayom cited diplomatic sources with knowledge of the matter as saying last week.
According to a Channel 12 report on Tuesday, Beirut has been aware of the attempts to rebuild but is turning a blind eye, despite having voted some three months ago to bring all weapons under state control.
Shosh Bedrosian, a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, said on Thursday that Israel will defend itself and Hezbollah is required to disarm, "regardless of conversations that take place.
"The State of Israel will continue to insist on the full enforcement of the ceasefire in Lebanon to ensure that this terror group is completely cut off—that they’re not rearming, that there's no threat to the State of Israel, its citizens, and our security forces," she told reporters.
