The airstrike was conducted amid a delay in Israel’s full withdrawal from Lebanon.
Israeli Air Force aircraft conducted a new strike in Lebanon’s Beqaa governorate on Feb. 8, amid continued delays in the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the country.
“An [Israeli Air Force] 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 Feb. 8
statement posted on social media platform X.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency has since
reported that six people were killed and two more were injured in what it 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, 2024, cease-fire agreement to halt cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist faction with expansive influence throughout Lebanon.
The November 2024 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 that 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 stated.
The Israeli government and Hezbollah have both alleged that the other has violated the terms of the cease-fire 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 airstrikes 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, 2024, 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 Feb. 8 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 that Lebanese tribal fighters also joined in the fighting with HTS terrorists on Feb. 8. Hezbollah 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 that his government will “monopolize the carrying of weapons” in Lebanon, potentially indicating that he will seek to disarm Hezbollah’s militant components.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
