Israel launched heavy air strikes on several parts of southern Lebanon on Thursday, saying it was targeting Hezbollah positions and infrastructure in defiance of a ceasefire agreement brokered last year.
The military action came after residents of multiple villages were warned to leave, heightening fears of renewed escalation along the border.
Footage widely shared online showed thick columns of smoke rising from Mais al-Jabal, one of the areas hit in the raids.
Other locations under evacuation orders included Kfar Tibnit, Debbin, and two more villages named later in the day.
The Israeli military claimed its forces had struck facilities belonging to Hezbollah, accusing the group of trying to rebuild its activities in the region.
Israel Defense Forces Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee said troops had raided Hezbollah weapons warehouses, alleging their presence breached the truce arrangements. He did not provide evidence to support the accusations.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the attacks, urging immediate international intervention. Writing on X, he said Lebanon had remained committed to ending hostilities and questioned Israel’s own adherence to the deal.
“Where is Israel's commitment to these mechanisms?” he asked, calling on the countries that sponsored the truce to exert maximum pressure on Israel to immediately stop its aggressions,” withdraw from Lebanese territory, and release prisoners.
The truce, negotiated with the help of the United States and France in November, was agreed between Israel and Lebanon but did not directly involve Hezbollah.
Under the accord, Beirut pledged to prevent Hezbollah and other armed factions from staging operations against Israel, while Israel committed to halting offensive military actions inside Lebanon, including against civilian and military sites.
Lebanon’s government has instructed its army to enforce exclusive state control of weapons, a move Hezbollah has openly rejected, vowing to maintain its own arsenal despite the ceasefire terms.
The latest strikes follow weeks of near-daily Israeli operations against what it describes as Hezbollah-linked targets, raising fresh doubts about the durability of the truce.
