Fresh Israeli airstrikes target south and east Lebanon

Israeli airstrikes on Friday targeted several areas in south and east Lebanon, with the Israeli army claiming that they struck alleged Hezbollah sites, a day after the Lebanese Army said it had completed the first phase of its plan to disarm the group in the south.

In the south, the strikes hit open areas near Kfarfila, Sujud, Houmine al-Fawqa and Deir al-Zahrani in the Iqlim al-Tuffah region and the al-Bissariyeh area near Sidon. The raids also targeted the outskirts of the town of al-Nabi Sheet in the Bekaa and the al-Jabbour hills in west Bekaa.

The Israeli army said the strikes targeted “weapons depots and a weapons production site used by Hezbollah to rebuild and rearm its capabilities” as well as “launching sites and rocket launchers along with additional military buildings used by Hezbollah to advance terrorist plots against the IDF (Israeli army) and the State of Israel.”

According to Al-Arabiya television, 30 airstrikes were carried out by Israel in total.

No casualties were immediately reported.

Under heavy U.S. pressure and amid fears of expanded Israeli strikes, Lebanon has committed to disarming Hezbollah, which was weakened by more than a year of hostilities with Israel including two months of all-out war that ended with a November 2024 ceasefire.

Despite the truce, Israel has kept up regular strikes in Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives, and has maintained troops in five south Lebanon areas it deems strategic, accusing the group of rearming.

Lebanon's army said Thursday it had "achieved the objectives of the first phase" of its plan to disarm Hezbollah, covering the area south of the Litani River -- around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border -- with the intention to extend it to the rest of the country.

Israel said the efforts were encouraging but not enough.

"The ceasefire agreement... states clearly, Hezbollah must be fully disarmed," the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

"Efforts made toward this end by the Lebanese government and the Lebanese armed forces are an encouraging beginning, but they are far from sufficient," it added.

Lebanese official media said a strike on Thursday killed one person near the southern city of Sidon, as Israel's army said it targeted a Hezbollah operative.

Under the ceasefire, Hezbollah was to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River and have its military infrastructure dismantled in the evacuated areas.