A senior Israeli military official confirmed on Tuesday that Israeli forces conducted a targeted airstrike in southern Lebanon early that morning, marking the first such operation inside Lebanese territory since the ceasefire agreement took effect in November 2023. The strike, carried out by an Israeli Air Force drone, struck a site near the village of Aita al-Shaab in the Nabatieh Governorate, according to two Lebanese security sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. The Israeli military said in a brief statement that the target was “a Hezbollah infrastructure site used for storing weapons and preparing attacks against Israeli territory,” adding that the strike was conducted “in accordance with Israel’s right to self-defense under international law.” No casualties were reported by Lebanese authorities, though the Israeli military said the strike destroyed a weapons cache and disrupted operational preparations. Hezbollah has not issued a public statement regarding the incident as of late Tuesday evening. The airstrike comes amid heightened tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border, where sporadic exchanges of fire have occurred since the November ceasefire, though neither side has formally accused the other of violating the agreement. The ceasefire, brokered by the United States and France, ended 11 days of intense fighting that began after Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel and Hezbollah’s subsequent rocket fire into northern Israel. Israeli officials have repeatedly warned in recent weeks that they would not tolerate any Hezbollah rearmament or rebuilding of military infrastructure near the border, even under the ceasefire terms. Lebanese officials, including caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, have urged restraint and called for full adherence to the agreement, which includes a Lebanese Army deployment in the south and a withdrawal of Hezbollah fighters to areas north of the Litani River. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) confirmed it was monitoring the situation and had dispatched patrols to the area following the strike. A UNIFIL spokesperson said the mission was in contact with both Israeli and Lebanese authorities to de-escalate tensions and verify compliance with Resolution 1701, which underpins the ceasefire framework. Diplomatic channels between Washington and Beirut remained active, with U.S. Officials urging both sides to avoid actions that could undermine the fragile truce. No immediate call for an emergency UN Security Council meeting was made, though several member states expressed concern privately over the risk of escalation. Israeli military officials said the strike was pre-planned and based on intelligence gathered over several days, emphasizing that it was not a retaliatory measure for any recent cross-border fire. Lebanese officials, yet, framed the incident as a unilateral violation of sovereignty and warned that repeated incursions could destabilize the broader arrangement. As of Wednesday morning, no further strikes had been reported, and both Israeli and Lebanese military commands maintained their positions along the border. The Lebanese Army said it had increased patrols in the sector but had not engaged Israeli forces. Hezbollah’s media wing remained silent, a departure from its usual practice of issuing statements after Israeli strikes in Syria or elsewhere. The incident underscores the fragility of the November ceasefire, which has held despite periodic flare-ups, and raises questions about the durability of the arrangement absent a broader political settlement addressing Hezbollah’s armaments and Israel’s security demands. Neither side has indicated a willingness to re-enter negotiations, and international mediators have not signaled plans to revive talks in the near term.
