Israel strikes across south, eastern Lebanon in latest truce violation

The continued Israeli bombardment has drawn sharp criticism from the UN, which has recorded dozens of civilian deaths.Published On 18 Dec 2025The Israeli military has carried out a wave of air strikes across areas in southern and eastern Lebanon, in the latest near-daily violation of a more than year-old ceasefire.An Al Jazeera correspondent on the ground said the attacks targeted the al-Jabour, al-Qatrani and al-Rayhan areas in the south of the country, as well as the Buday and the Hermel regions in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.Another raid targeted Wadi Al-Qusayr in the town of Deir Siryan in the south.Israel claims it is targeting Hezbollah operatives and arms sites, it says, to pressure the Lebanese armed group to disarm.Hezbollah has sharply refused to relinquish its arsenal as long as Israel bombards and occupies parts of Lebanon.Tensions escalated further weeks ago when Israel bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing Hezbollah’s top military commander, Haytham Ali Tabatabai. The group has yet to respond, but said it will do so at the right time.The continued Israeli bombardment has drawn sharp criticism from the United Nations, which reported in November that at least 127 civilians, including children, have been killed in Lebanon since the ceasefire took effect in late 2024. UN officials have warned the attacks amount to “war crimes”.The attacks come as Lebanon and Israel recently dispatched civilian envoys to a committee monitoring their ceasefire for the first time in decades, a move aimed at expanding diplomatic engagement.However, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem criticised Lebanon’s decision to send former Ambassador Simon Karam to the talks, calling it a “free concession” to Israel.