Israeli warplanes pound south Lebanon, targeting western Bekaa

By Naim Berjawi and Mohammad Sio

BEIRUT (AA) - Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes Monday, targeting several areas in southern Lebanon, with most strikes concentrated in the western Bekaa region of Bekaa province.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported that Israeli air raids struck the Libbaya area in western Bekaa, delivering four strikes from combat drones and a fifth from an F-16 fighter jet. No casualties were reported in those attacks, the agency said.

Israeli aircraft also targeted Wadi Zlaya and the Jbour hills in the same region, with no injuries noted, according to the agency.

Separately, an Israeli strike hit the Litani River area near Deir Mimas in the Marjayoun district of Nabatieh province.

Earlier that day, Lebanon’s Health Ministry confirmed one person killed and three injured in an Israeli airstrike on a car in Nabatieh province, raising the toll from Israeli raids since March 8 to 10 dead and 13 wounded, per ministry and agency figures.

The broadcaster also reported that an Israeli drone fired a guided missile at a motorcycle carrying two people on a road in Yohmor al-Shaqif’s Al-Baydar neighborhood.

The Israeli military claimed in a statement that it struck two Hezbollah members in the Yohmor area, alleging the pair served as “observation operatives directing hostile operations,” though it provided no evidence.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Lebanon since November 2024, ending months of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.

Lebanese authorities have reported nearly 1,100 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 92 victims and injuries to more than 285.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Israel refused to comply. It still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.