Israel launches series of airstrikes on Lebanon targeting alleged Hezbollah’s sites

Israel's air force conducted a series of heavy airstrikes early Friday on mountainous terrain overlooking the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh, in what the Israeli military described as an operation against underground infrastructure belonging to the militant Hezbollah group.

According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, the airstrikes came in two waves and involved the use of bunker-buster bombs, marking one of the most intense Israeli operations in the region since the ceasefire took effect last November. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Israeli military released a statement saying its fighter jets targeted a site allegedly used by Hezbollah for managing its fire and air defence systems in the area. 

The military claimed the location was part of a "significant underground project" that was rendered completely inoperative.

The military also stated that it had monitored Hezbollah’s efforts to rehabilitate infrastructure at the site and launched preemptive strikes to prevent its reactivation.

Read: Hezbollah missile attack on Tel Aviv injures six Israelis 

There has been no official response from Hezbollah regarding the latest strikes.

Since the end of the 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah in November, brokered by the United States, tensions have remained high along the Israeli-Lebanese border. 

Israel has carried out near-daily airstrikes in southern Lebanon, although Friday’s operation was described by local media as more forceful than usual.

The 2024 conflict resulted in over 4,000 deaths in Lebanon and caused an estimated $11 billion in damage. In Israel, 127 people were killed, including 80 soldiers.

Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah was barred from maintaining an armed presence south of the Litani River. Friday’s strikes, however, occurred north of the river, in an area not restricted by the ceasefire terms.