Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on mountainous regions in eastern Lebanon on Thursday, October 23, targeting Hezbollah positions, according to statements from both Lebanese and Israeli sources.
Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported that “Israeli warplanes launched a series of violent strikes on the eastern mountain range” in the Bekaa region near the Syrian border, adding that two of the strikes hit the Hermel range in the country’s northeast.
The Israeli military confirmed the operation, saying the strikes targeted Hezbollah sites in eastern and northern Lebanon, including “a military camp and a site for the production of precision missiles” in the Bekaa. It added that several “terrorist targets” were hit, among them “a camp used for training Hezbollah militants” and “military infrastructure at a site for the production of precision missiles.” Another strike targeted “a Hezbollah military site in the Sharbin area in northern Lebanon.”
The attacks come despite a ceasefire agreement reached in November, which had ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, including two months of open conflict. The deal required Israeli troops to withdraw from southern Lebanon and for Hezbollah to dismantle its military presence in the area.
Amid pressure from the United States to avoid renewed escalation, the Lebanese government has started efforts to disarm Hezbollah. However, the group and its allies remain strongly opposed to the plan.
