Israeli air strikes hit four crossings along the Syria–Lebanon border on Wednesday, with Israel claiming the sites were used by Hezbollah to smuggle weapons. The attacks came alongside a series of strikes across southern Lebanon that killed at least two people and wounded nearly 20, according to Lebanese officials.
The latest bombardment occurred despite a US-brokered ceasefire signed in November 2024 that ended more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanese authorities say Israel has repeatedly violated the agreement since it came into force.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reported that 19 people were injured in Israeli air strikes on the southern town of Qanarit. The state-run National News Agency said Israeli warplanes also struck buildings in several villages and towns, including al-Kharayeb, al-Ansar, Kfour, Jarjouh and Qanarit, following Israeli military warnings of imminent attacks.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli strikes on vehicles in the towns of Zahrani, in the Sidon district, and Bazuriyeh, in the Tyre district, killed one person in each location, the Health Ministry said. AFP journalists at one of the strike sites in Sidon reported a charred vehicle on a main road, with debris scattered across the area. An AFP photographer was slightly wounded, along with two other journalists, near the site of the Qanarit strike.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the attacks, saying Israel was pursuing a “policy of systematic aggression” by targeting inhabited villages. He accused Israel of refusing to abide by its obligations under the cessation of hostilities agreement.
In a statement on social media, the Israeli military said it targeted four border crossings used for “weapons transfer” and claimed it had “eliminated” a key Hezbollah weapons smuggler in the Sidon area.
The Lebanese army denounced the strikes as a “blatant violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty” and the ceasefire, saying the attacks were hitting civilian buildings and hindering efforts to implement a Hezbollah disarmament plan included in the agreement.
Hezbollah has rejected calls to surrender its weapons amid ongoing Israeli attacks. According to an AFP tally, more than 350 people have been killed in Lebanon since the ceasefire was signed.
