Israel Strikes Lebanon Again Amid Ongoing Tensions With Hezbollah

Israel’s air force conducted strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday and early Tuesday, including in Sidon, Lebanon’s third-largest city.

At around 1 a.m. Tuesday, a three-story commercial building in Sidon’s southern coastal district was destroyed. The building, situated in a commercial area with workshops and mechanic shops, was uninhabited. At least one person was taken to a hospital by ambulance, and rescue teams searched the area for others. No fatalities were immediately reported.

Earlier on Monday, Israel targeted several locations in southern and eastern Lebanon, citing their use by Hezbollah and Hamas militants. These strikes came after warnings posted in Arabic by the Israeli military spokesperson about upcoming attacks on villages in the eastern Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon. The Sidon strike was unannounced, and the Israeli military has not yet issued a statement about it.

In the Bekaa Valley, a home in the village of Manara was struck. The residence belonged to Sharhabil al-Sayed, a Hamas military commander who was killed in an Israeli drone strike in May 2024. Following warnings, the targeted areas were evacuated, and no casualties were reported. Additionally, a drone strike on a car in the southern village of Braikeh earlier on Monday injured two people; Israel said the strike targeted Hezbollah members.

The Lebanese army began disarming Palestinian armed groups last year, and the government has committed to clearing Hezbollah’s armed presence from the south Litani area near the Israeli border by the end of 2025. The Lebanese government is scheduled to discuss Hezbollah’s disarmament on Thursday during a meeting with army commander Gen. Rudolph Haikal.

Monday’s airstrikes occurred in villages north of the Litani River, far from the Israeli border. These disarmament efforts follow a 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah, which started on October 8, 2023, after Hamas attacked southern Israel. Hezbollah responded by firing rockets into Israel, prompting Israeli bombardments and a ground invasion in September 2024. The conflict ended in November 2024 with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

Since the ceasefire, Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes, mainly targeting Hezbollah members. These strikes have also resulted in the deaths of at least 127 civilians, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.