SIDON, Jan 6: Israel carried out airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday and early Tuesday, including in the coastal city of Sidon, leveling a three-story commercial building.
The strikes came days before Lebanon’s army commander is scheduled to brief the government on disarming Hezbollah along the Israeli border.
Israeli officials said the targets included weapons storage and infrastructure used by Hezbollah and Hamas, acknowledging some sites were in civilian areas. No deaths were reported in Sidon, though one person was hospitalized.
Additional strikes targeted villages in the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon, including the home of a deceased Hamas commander.
Earlier Monday, a drone strike in Braikeh wounded two people, targeting Hezbollah members.
Lebanon’s president condemned the attacks, calling them counterproductive to international efforts to deescalate tensions and extend government authority over Hezbollah-dominated areas.
Since the November 2024 US-brokered ceasefire ending a year-long Israel-Hezbollah war, Israel has conducted near-daily strikes, arguing that Lebanon has not fulfilled its pledge to disarm militants.
The Lebanese government aims to clear south Litani areas of armed groups by the end of 2025.
The strikes follow the broader conflict that began in October 2023 after Hamas attacked southern Israel, with Hezbollah firing rockets in solidarity, resulting in significant casualties and political destabilization in Lebanon. (AP)
