The Israeli military has launched a massive series of air strikes on several areas across Lebanon, targeting towns in the Bekaa Valley and a mountainous region in Baalbek in the eastern and northeastern parts of the country. The attacks also targeted the Ghaziyeh area of south Lebanon, leading to a fire at a warehouse.
Israel’s Defence Minister Katz confirmed that Israel was launching what he described as a “violent renewed attack on the largest site for the production of precision missiles belonging to Hezbollah in Lebanon”. “Every attempt by the terrorist organisation to recover, reposition, or threaten will be met with relentless force”, Katz said.
Earlier, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reiterated calls for Hezbollah to hand over its weapons to the army, a move rejected by the group despite growing pressure from Israel’s main ally, the United States. In a televised speech, Aoun said authorities were demanding “the extension of the Lebanese state’s authority over all its territory, the removal of weapons from all armed groups, including Hezbollah and their handover to the Lebanese army”.
Hezbollah officials have said they will not discuss giving up the group’s remaining arsenal until Israel withdraws from all of Lebanon and ends its strikes. “Anyone calling today for the surrender of weapons, whether internally or externally, on the Arab or the international stage, is serving the Israeli project”, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah began on October 8, 2023, as the Lebanese group launched strikes in solidarity with the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza. A ceasefire was reached last November, but Israel has kept up its air attacks on Lebanon and has threatened to continue until Hezbollah has been disarmed. The ceasefire was based on a previous United Nations Security Council resolution that said only the Lebanese military and UN peacekeepers should possess weapons in the country’s south, and that all non-state groups should be disarmed. However, that resolution went unfulfilled for years.
Aoun demanded the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the release of Lebanese prisoners, and “an immediate cessation of Israeli hostilities”. He also proposed modifications to US ideas on Hezbollah’s disarmament, which would include an “immediate cessation of Israeli hostilities” in Lebanon, a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, and the release of Lebanese prisoners held in Israel. Lebanon’s proposal also calls for international donors to contribute $1 billion annually for 10 years to beef up the Lebanese army’s capabilities.
The US has been pushing Lebanon to issue a formal cabinet decision committing to disarm Hezbollah before talks can resume on a halt to Israeli military operations in the country. Aoun said Lebanon’s proposal would be discussed at a cabinet meeting next week to “establish a timetable for implementation”. The situation remains tense, with both sides dug in and unwilling to compromise.