Israeli strikes hit Lebanon after evacuation warnings

Published
0
Tair Filsay (south Lebanon): Flames and smoke erupt from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a home in this Lebanese village. The Israeli military launched strikes on two towns, claiming it was targeting Hezbollah after warning civilians of the impending attacks.—AFP
Tair Filsay (south Lebanon): Flames and smoke erupt from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a home in this Lebanese village. The Israeli military launched strikes on two towns, claiming it was targeting Hezbollah after warning civilians of the impending attacks.—AFP

BEIRUT: The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah ‘weapons storage facilities’ in several south Lebanon towns on Wednesday, and accused the group of rebuilding its capabilities close to the border.

The Israeli military has kept up frequent air strikes in Lebanon in spite of a ceasefire sealed last November that sought to end more than a year of hostilities.

The latest raids came a day after 13 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, the deadliest attack since the truce came into effect.

Israel’s military claimed that it had struck “several weapons storage facilities belonging to Hezbollah’s rocket unit in southern Lebanon”, calling such sites “a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon”.

It had previously warned residents to evacuate the area around sites in the southern Lebanese towns of Deir Kifa, Shehur, Ainata and Tayr Felsay.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) later said raids hit all four locations.

In Deir Kifa, Lebanese soldiers deployed near the targeted building, which collapsed after the strike. Freballs and smoke erupted after the raid.

In its evacuation warnings on X, the Israeli military had said it would strike Hezbollah “military infrastructure... in response to Hezbollah’s prohibited attempts to rebuild its activities in the area”.

In a subsequent statement, the military singled out the town of Beit Lif, just a few kilometres from the Israeli border.

It accused Hezbollah of rebuilding “dozens of infrastructure sites in the area of the village, including headquarters and weapons storage facilities”, some inside civilian homes.

Lebanon says Israel is violating the truce with its strikes, and by maintaining troops in five areas of the country’s south.

Under heavy US pressure and fears of expanded Israeli attacks, Lebanon has committed to disarming Hezbollah, but the group has rejected the idea of handing over its weapons.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2025

Opinion

Editorial

Muddled hierarchy
Updated 15 Nov, 2026

Muddled hierarchy

The jurisdiction of the two courts and a mechanism for settling disputes between them should be spelt out in law, not left to judges to fight over.
Growing crisis
Updated 15 Nov, 2026

Growing crisis

Calling population growth a national emergency is easy. Ensuring that the response reaches the people who need it is the real challenge.
Organised rackets
15 Nov, 2026

Organised rackets

ON the International Day against Transnational Organised Crime, observed today, Pakistan finds itself in a tight...
Referendum talk
Updated 14 Nov, 2026

Referendum talk

Unless the PPP is deliberately using Sindh as a bargaining chip, it should issue a clarification with a clear, consistent position on new administrative units, not one tailored to protect its home turf.
Mineral wealth
Updated 14 Nov, 2026

Mineral wealth

Minerals should not be presented as a solution to Pakistan’s long-term economic difficulties. The aim should be to build an industrial base rather than export raw materials.
Late diagnosis
14 Nov, 2026

Late diagnosis

AS we mark World Diabetes Day today, Pakistan faces a troubling question: how many people are living with diabetes...