Lebanon’s president and Israeli officials say direct talks will continue as Israeli warplanes struck several towns in southern Lebanon. Israel said on Thursday it targeted locations it accused of housing Hezbollah’s military infrastructure while Lebanon sought to keep negotiations alive to expand a fragile ceasefire monitoring arrangement.
The strikes followed evacuation warnings posted by the Israeli military. Witnesses and official Lebanese statements described buildings damaged in residential areas, and media agencies documented smoke and structural destruction in the targeted towns.
The first session of the new, direct talks between Israel and Lebanon took place in An-Naqoura in southwestern Lebanon a day before the Israeli airstrikes, and “paved the way for upcoming sessions,” according to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. The next round is scheduled to begin on December 19. “It is natural that the first session would not be highly productive, but it paved the way for upcoming sessions,” Aoun said.
Israel framed the strikes as preventive measures stating that Hezbollah’s military infrastructure was targeted to counter its prohibited attempts to rebuild its activities in the region, according to an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson.
The incidents highlight the fragility of the ceasefire along the Blue Line. Airstrikes and other military measures have occurred amid ongoing disputes over border security and enforcement, leaving civilian populations at risk.