JBAA: Israeli raids hit south Lebanon on Thursday as its military said it was striking Hezbollah weapons storage facilities, a day after Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives held their first direct talks in decades.

Despite a November 2024 ceasefire that was supposed to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and the group, Israel has kept up strikes on Lebanon and has also maintained troops in five south Lebanon areas it deems strategic.

The visit from Sunday to Tuesday of Pope Leo XIV had provided Lebanon with a window of reprieve from Israeli air strikes, which had intensified in recent weeks, and the pontiff urged an end to hostilities during his visit.

But on Thursday, the Israeli army said it “began conducting strikes on Hezbol­lah terror targets in southern Lebanon”, after warning it would strike buildings in south Lebanon’s Mahrouna and Jbaa.

It subsequently issued warnings that it would strike further Hezbollah “military infrastructure” in Majadal and Baraa­she­­et, also in the south. Lebanon’s official Na­­tional News Agency said “Israeli warpla­nes launched a strike on the town of Mahr­ouna” while other raids targeted bui­ldings in Jbaa, Majadal and Baraasheet.

A photographer saw smoke rising from the site of the strike in the town of Jbaa. “It’s a completely civilian area. We’re used to Israeli threats from time to time,” local official Yassir Madi told journalists.

“As for the damage, there’s not a window within 300 metres that didn’t break. Everyone is living in shock,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it struck “weapons storage facilities belonging to Hezbollah” located in the “heart of the civilian population”.

“This is yet another example of Hezbollah’s cynical use of Lebanese civilians as human shields, and continued operations from within civilian areas,” it said.

Lebanon’s government has committed to disarming Hezbollah but the group has rejected the idea and many in the country fear a return to expanded Israeli military operations.

‘Not yet at peace talks’

Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives held surprise talks on Wedne­sday under the auspices of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism at the UN peacekeeping force’s headquarters in Lebanon’s Naqura near the border with Israel.

Representatives of the ceasefire monitoring committee — the United States, France, Lebanon, Israel and the UN force — regularly convene in Naqura.

Lebanon and Israel have technically been at war since 1948, and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam cautioned the new diplomatic contact did not amount to broader peace discussions.

The United States has been piling pressure on Lebanon to rapidly disarm Hezbollah, and has pushed for direct talks between the two neighbours.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the atmosphere at the talks was “positive”, and that there had been agreement “to develop ideas to promote potential economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon”.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2025