ISRAEL’s military has launched attacks on what it described as Hezbollah and Hamas “targets” in Lebanon after issuing evacuation orders for four villages in the country’s east and south.
An Israeli army spokesperson said earlier that it was planning air strikes on Hezbollah and Hamas “military infrastructure” in the villages of Hammara and Ain el-Tineh in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, and Kfar Hatta and Annan in the south.
An AFP news agency photographer in Kfar Hatta saw dozens of families flee the village after an Israeli warning was issued, with drone activity in the area. Ambulances and fire trucks were on standby.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said a drone strike on a car in the southern village of Braikeh earlier Monday wounded two people. The Israeli military said the strike targeted two Hezbollah members.
The latest attacks follow Sunday’s deadly Israeli strike on a vehicle in the Ayn al-Mizrab area north of the town of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon that killed two people. The Israeli military said the attack, which occurred 10km (6 miles) from the border, also targeted a Hezbollah member.
Israel has continued its attacks despite a United States-brokered ceasefire in 2024, which ended more than a year of heavy fighting between its forces and Hezbollah.
The Israeli military has repeatedly violated the truce with bombardment and continues to occupy five areas in the country.
Lebanon has faced growing pressure from the US and Israel to disarm Hezbollah, and its leaders fear Israel could escalate strikes.
Lebanon’s army was expected to complete the disarmament south of the Litani River – 30km (19 miles) from the border with Israel by the end of 2025.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Sunday called the disarmament efforts “far from sufficient”.
Beirut-based security affairs analyst Ali Rizk said the latest attacks come as no surprise following last week’s meeting between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“There had been reports that Israel got a green light to escalate against Hezbollah,” Rizk told Al Jazeera.
He noted Israel’s reference to Hamas as a target put more pressure on Lebanon, “not only to take action against Hezbollah, but also to take action against any other anti-Israel groups who might have a presence on Lebanese territory”.
The Lebanese government is expected to meet on Tuesday to discuss the army’s progress in disarming Hezbollah, which remains powerful despite heavy losses it sustained at the hands of Israel, which include the killing of longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah in September 2024.
A ceasefire monitoring committee, including peacekeepers from Lebanon, Israel, France, the US and the United Nations, is also set to meet in the coming days.
Israel’s continued bombardment has drawn sharp criticism from the UN, which reported in November that at least 127 civilians, including children, have been killed in Lebanon since the ceasefire took effect in late 2024.