Israel strikes southern Lebanon as Hezbollah rebuilds amid tensions

Israeli forces launched a new round of air strikes across southern Lebanon on Thursday, killing at least two people and wounding several others, as Israeli leaders warned they could intensify operations against Hezbollah and Lebanese authorities mobilised troops along the frontier. The strikes, concentrated in the Nabatieh and Tyre districts, follow a string of recent crossborder incidents that have strained a ceasefire agreed on November 27, 2024.

Lebanon's health ministry said an Israeli strike in the town of Doueir killed one person and injured seven after three missiles struck a car and set fire to nearby vehicles and a shopping complex. A separate strike in the border town of Aita al-Shaab killed another person, the ministry reported. The Israeli military said its forces had targeted members of Hezbollah, including an alleged commander of the Radwan Force, and carried out strikes against what it described as efforts to reestablish militant infrastructure and logistics in southern villages.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet that he expected the Lebanese government to fulfil commitments to disarm Hezbollah and said Israel would "act as necessary" to...