Israel has launched new ground operations into southern Lebanon, marking its first such incursions in months despite an existing cease-fire agreement with Hezbollah.
The Israeli military announced on Wednesday that the operations were aimed at dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure, including weapons depots and firing positions. It also released footage showing nighttime raids carried out by Israeli troops inside Lebanese territory.
The operations come against the backdrop of a fragile truce established in November, following the most intense fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in decades.
Although the agreement called for Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon, Israeli forces continue to occupy five border positions, citing Hezbollah’s ongoing armed presence as a violation of the deal.
Since the truce, Israel has carried out near-daily airstrikes targeting alleged Hezbollah sites, with attacks escalating in recent weeks. Hezbollah, which has yet to respond militarily since the cease-fire took effect, claims it has already pulled its fighters from southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese government has also reported dismantling hundreds of Hezbollah military sites and arms caches.
However, the central issue of Hezbollah’s complete disarmament remains unresolved. Lebanese authorities have not provided a clear timeline for achieving this, further fueling tensions.
On Sunday, Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Naim Qassem, declared that the group would not disarm unless Israel ceased its repeated airstrikes.
Those airstrikes intensified again on Tuesday, when Israeli forces launched a targeted attack near the northern city of Tripoli, reportedly aiming at a Hamas official.
The strike killed three people and injured more than a dozen others, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Tripoli had previously remained largely untouched during the conflict.
Since the cease-fire began, approximately 250 people have been killed in Israeli strikes across Lebanon, though official figures do not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
The announcement of renewed ground operations coincided with the visit of U.S. envoy Thomas J. Barrack Jr. to Beirut. Barrack received Lebanon’s official response to a U.S.-proposed roadmap for Hezbollah’s disarmament and said he was “satisfied” with the reply, though he offered no specifics about the seven-page document.
Last week, Barrack described the cease-fire as “a total failure,” citing ongoing Israeli air raids and Hezbollah’s failure to meet the agreement’s terms.
The latest developments have further undermined hopes for long-term stability along the Israel-Lebanon border and raised fears of a broader conflict.
