Israel Lebanese conflict: Israel launched a wave of intense airstrikes across southern and northeastern Lebanon on Thursday, just as a key deadline approaches to disarm the militant group Hezbollah along the tense Israel-Lebanon border.
The strikes came one day before a scheduled meeting of the committee overseeing the enforcement of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that ended the latest Israel Lebanese conflict a year ago. Friday’s meeting will be only the second since Israel and Lebanon appointed civilian representatives to a committee that was earlier made up only of military officials. The group also includes representatives from the United States, France, and the United Nations peacekeeping force stationed along the border.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s army commander, Gen. Rodolph Haikal, held talks in Paris with officials from the U.S., France, and Saudi Arabia to discuss support for the Lebanese army as it works to strengthen its presence near the border. Haikal began his visit with meetings with French military leaders.
France’s armed forces chief of staff, Gen. Fabien Mandon, said in a post on X on Thursday that he discussed Lebanon’s security challenges and the wider regional situation with Haikal.
Mandon said France’s assistance to the Lebanese army is guided by a shared goal of helping maintain stability and long-term peace while respecting Lebanon’s sovereignty.
France’s Foreign Ministry said political parties meeting in Paris agreed to hold a conference in February focused on supporting the Lebanese armed forces.
The ministry added that discussions also centered on showing progress toward Hezbollah’s disarmament. French, Saudi, and U.S. officials reportedly met with Lebanon’s army chief to work on a roadmap for a disarmament mechanism.
In a statement, the Lebanese army quoted Haikal as telling Mandon that the military remains committed to carrying out the first phase of the ceasefire agreement near the Israeli border within the agreed timeline.
The Lebanese government has said the army is expected to clear the entire area south of the Litani River of Hezbollah’s armed presence by the end of the year.
Israel’s military said Thursday’s strikes targeted Hezbollah infrastructure and launch sites inside a military compound used by the group to train its fighters. It also said it hit several Hezbollah military structures where weapons were stored and from which fighters had recently operated.
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According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, the airstrikes stretched from the Mount Rihan area in southern Lebanon to the northeastern Hermel region near the Syrian border.
Soon after, a drone strike hit a car near the southern town of Taybeh, wounding four people, the agency reported.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri described the attacks as a message from Israel aimed at the Paris talks supporting the Lebanese army.
“The fire belt of Israeli airstrikes is meant to mark the mechanism’s meeting tomorrow,” Berri said during a parliamentary session in Beirut.
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The latest Israel Lebanese conflict began on October 8, 2023, a day after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel. Hezbollah then fired rockets into Israel in support of Hamas. In September 2024, Israel launched a heavy bombardment of Lebanon that badly weakened Hezbollah, followed by a ground invasion.
Since then, Israel has carried out near-daily airstrikes, mostly targeting Hezbollah fighters in the Israeli-Lebanese conflict. However, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, at least 127 civilians have also been killed.
In recent weeks, the United States has stepped up pressure on Lebanon to intensify efforts to disarm Hezbollah.
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