Israel strikes south and east Lebanon in renewed ceasefire violations

A series of Israeli strikes hit south and east Lebanon on Friday, state media reported, as Israel's army said it was targeting Hezbollah sites, the latest such raids despite a year-old ceasefire.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported strikes in around a dozen locations, including up to around 30 kilometres from the Israeli border, citing at times "heavy raids".

Israel has kept up strikes on Lebanon despite a November 2024 ceasefire that was supposed to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah and has also kept troops in five areas it claims are strategic.

The Israeli military said in a statement that its forces "struck a training and qualification compound", claiming it was used by Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force where operatives "underwent shooting exercises and additional training on the use of various types of weapons".

The army also "struck additional Hezbollah military infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon", according to the statement.

Continued attacks

According to the ceasefire, Hezbollah was required to pull its forces north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometres from the border with Israel, and have its military infrastructure there dismantled.

The sites struck on Friday were generally north of the river.

Israel, on the other hand, promised to withdraw south of the Blue Line over a period of up to 60 days.

Earlier this week, Israel launched a series of strikes on southern Lebanon, also claiming it hit a Hezbollah training centre and other targets.

At least 335 people have been killed and 973 others wounded in 1,038 Israeli attacks since the ceasefire agreement came into effect in November 2024, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

The UN peacekeeping mission (UNIFIL) has reported more than 10,000 Israeli air and ground violations since last year’s ceasefire.