The airstrike was conducted amid a delay in Israel’s full withdrawal from Lebanon.
Israeli Air Force (IAF) aircraft conducted a new strike in Lebanon’s Beqaa governorate on Feb. 8, amid continued delays in withdrawing its forces from the country.
“An IAF aircraft conducted a strike on Hezbollah operatives in the area of Beqaa in Lebanon after the terrorists were operating in a weapons manufacturing and storage site belonging to the terrorist organization,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a Saturday
statement.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency has since
reported six people were killed and two more were injured in what they described as a drone attack in the village of Janta. The Lebanese state news publication provided no additional details about the individuals struck. Hezbollah is designated by the United States, Israel, and other nations as a terrorist organization.
Israeli forces have continued to carry out military activities within Lebanon, despite a Nov. 27 cease-fire agreement to halt cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist faction with expansive influence throughout Lebanon.
The November cease-fire deal had called for Hezbollah to pull its fighting forces north of the Litani River, and for the Lebanese government to reassert control over the areas south of the river. Israel, in turn, agreed to stop striking Lebanon and end its ground incursion across Lebanon’s southern border within 60 days.
The Israeli military said the activity it suspected at the Beqaa site was in violation of the cease-fire deal.
“The IDF continues to operate to remove any threat to the State of Israel and will prevent any attempt by the Hezbollah terrorist organization to rebuild its forces, in accordance with the cease-fire understandings,” the IDF said.
Despite the cease-fire agreement, the Israeli government and Hezbollah have both alleged the other has violated the terms of the deal.
On Nov. 30, 2024, just days after the deal went into effect, Israeli aircraft carried out a similar airstrike targeting a
suspected Hezbollah weapons site. Israel’s military
reported other air strikes on other suspected Hezbollah launch sites and infrastructure on Dec. 2, in response to rocket launches near border territory disputed by Israel, Lebanon, and Syria.
Last month, the Israeli government announced that its ground forces will
remain in southern Lebanon beyond the 60-day timeline described in the Nov. 27 cease-fire deal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the delay was necessary as the Lebanese armed forces had yet to fully retake control over Lebanon’s southern border region, per the terms of the cease-fire.
The White House has
said the Israel–Lebanon cease-fire will remain in effect until at least Feb. 18.
Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s fall from power in December 2024 may further complicate the situation between Israel and Lebanon. Reports emerged on Saturday of cross-border clashes between Lebanese government forces and the insurgent forces that drove Assad from power. The de facto government in the Syrian capital of Damascus was formed from terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a Sunni Islamist faction.
Al Manar, a Lebanese broadcaster affiliated with Hezbollah, has reported Lebanese tribal fighters had also joined in the fighting with HTS terrorists on Saturday. Hezbollah had supported Assad throughout his efforts to retain power.
While Israeli forces are supposed to pull back from southern Lebanon, they have established a presence within Syria in recent weeks, and have indicated
plans to stay there indefinitely. Their presence in Syria, combined with the growing fighting between Lebanese and Syrian factions, could complicate the Israel–Lebanon cease-fire deal.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, whom the country’s parliament selected last month, formed Lebanon’s first full-fledged
government since 2022 on Feb. 8. This new Lebanese government has taken some steps to mitigate Hezbollah’s continued political influence across the country. Aoun has also vowed his government will “monopolize the carrying of weapons” in Lebanon; potentially indicating he will seek to disarm Hezbollah’s militant components.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
